Poll finds Christie far ahead of Buono in N.J. governor’s race

Heading into the final weekend of the New Jersey gubernatorial campaign, a new Fairleigh Dickinson PublicMind poll shows Gov. Chris Christie maintaining a double-digit lead over Democratic challenger, stat Sen. Barbara Buono.

Just under 60 percent of likely voters support Christie while 40 percent plan to vote for Buono, said Krista Jenkins, poll director.

“We haven’t seen a gap of this magnitude in a gubernatorial election in over a decade,” she said. “In this polarized political environment, Christie’s support in a blue state is something that’s likely to create some envy among other Republican leaders.”

Christie has a 62 percent favorability rating among likely voters, far higher than Buono’s favorability rating.

And 23 percent of voters say they remain unsure about Buono, Jenkins said. That’s contributing to the big deficit she has yet to overcome just days before the election.