NJ Watchdog: Voters flee as Christie chases White House

As Chris Christie applies for a job in the White House, he may want to think twice about using his New Jersey employers as references.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters give thumbs-down to Christie’s performance as governor, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today. And 60 percent believe the Garden State is on the wrong track.

The numbers have dropped dramatically since a high point in February 2013, when Christie savored a 73 percent approval rating versus a scant 23 percent in naysayers.

The poll found New Jersey’s pension crisis to be Christie’s biggest weakness. Only 22 percent of voters view his role favorably, compared to 60 percent who disapprove.

The unfunded liability of state retirement system exceeds $170 billion, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis based on numbers from the state Treasury. Christie made pension reform the centerpiece of his budget address in February, but there has been no legislative progress on the recommendations of the governor’s blue-ribbon panel.

Meanwhile, Christie is spending less time in Trenton and more time on the national campaign trail. Next week, he is scheduled to be in New Hampshire from April 14 to 17. One of the events will be a town hall meeting with voters in the early primary state.

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/211151/nj-voters-flee-christie/.