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 Christie, a likely 2016 Republican presidential contender,
continues to be dogged by the so-called Bridgegate scandal in which
top advisers shut down lanes to the George Washington Bridge in what
was suspected of being political payback, according to a survey by
Quinnipiac University Poll.
An internal review commissioned by Christie into the lane closures
last month cleared the governor and his current staff, placing blame
for the scheme on two former aides.
But 56 percent of those who participated in the Quinnipiac survey
believe the internal review was a "whitewash," compared with 36
percent who said it was a "legitimate investigation."
The lane closures have also continued to hurt the outspoken
Republican's once-soaring popularity among voters in New Jersey, a
heavily Democratic state, with the governor priding himself as being
a politician who can work across party lines.
Christie's approval rating stood at 49 percent, with 44 percent
disapproving of his job performance, the poll found.
Christie's approval rating has dipped six points since January, when
the Bridgegate scandal erupted, and was down 25 points from its
all-time high of 74 percent in February of 2013, the poll found.
State and federal investigators are also looking into the September
traffic scheme and allegations of abuse of power within the Christie
administration.
Christie, accused by critics of strong-arming political foes,
received his worst-ever "bully" score, with 48 percent of those
polled saying they think he leads partly by intimidation, the survey
found.
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But New Jersey voters continue to believe Christie when he said he
did not call for the epic traffic jams, apparently designed to
punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, who didn't
endorse his re-election.
Sixty-four percent of those polled said Christie did not order the
lane closures, but 51 percent said they believe he was aware of what
his aides were doing, according to the survey conducted April 2-7.
The survey also found that voters believe allegations made by a New
Jersey mayor who said she was pressured by a Christie deputy to
endorse a real estate development deal in her city.
A majority of those polled, 57 percent, said they believe Dawn
Zimmer, the Democratic Mayor of Hoboken, who claims she was told her
city would not get relief money to clean up from 2012's Superstorm
Sandy unless she backed the project.
The Christie administration has denied the allegations.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; editing by Ken Wills)
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