Chris Christie update: New polls spell trouble

Your daily recap of the latest developments from New Jersey

Published January 28, 2014 2:02PM (EST)

Chris Christie                        (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)
Chris Christie (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken a beating in the media for much of the past month, but while initial polls saw his favorability ratings dipping, his overall positive standing with voters proved surprisingly resilient.

Until now.

Here's what you need to know about what's going on in Christieland:

  • A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds Christie's favorability rating continues to drop. Just as worrisome for the Republican governor, the poll also finds most voters — 44 percent — believe Christie is not telling the whole truth about "Bridgegate" (42 percent believe Christie's being truthful). These figures aren't a death knell for Christie's potential 2016 campaign, but as Republican pollster Bill McInturff puts it, the poll "changes the starting point of a national campaign."
  • Another new poll, this one from Fairleigh Dickinson and PublicMind, shows 53 percent of New Jersey respondents doubt Christie's assertion that he didn't know anything about Bridgegate in advance.
  • According to a report from the Washington Post, Christie will be hitting the road soon to raise money for the Republican Governors Association, which he chairs. The embattled governor will travel to Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Utah, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Christie aides are trying to spin the trip as proof of Christie's resilience.
  • Some rare good news for Christie: He beat a 13-year-old in a game of ping pong on Monday.

By Elias Isquith

Elias Isquith is a former Salon staff writer.

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