If Gov. Christie seeks re-election in N.J., poll finds he’d be tough to beat

Even though he hasn’t declared whether he’ll seek another term, a new poll shows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would be the favorite in next year’s gubernatorial race.

The Quinnipiac University poll shows Christie leading all of the potential Democratic challengers.

University Polling Institute director Maurice “Mickey” Carroll says Christie is favored by four points over Newark Mayor Cory Booker, has a six-point lead over Senator Dick Codey, a 12-point advantage over Sen. Barbara Buono, and is ahead of Assemblyman Lou Greenwald by 21 points.

“He owns New Jersey from the standpoint of attention,” Carroll said. “This guy has just taken it over with his Jersey guy performance.”

If Christie does run for re-election, Carroll expects the national Democratic Party will spend a lot of time and money trying to beat him to thwart his possible run for president in 2016.

The poll also just 39 percent of New Jersey voters agree with Christie that lawmakers should act quickly to approve a tax cut. Just over 50 percent of those surveyed agree with Democrats in the Legislature who want any tax cut to wait until state revenues improve significantly.