Republican Comment by Michael Torpey

The numbers in this poll lead to one clear conclusion: the messenger has been shot.  Give Governor Corzine credit, he delivered the bad news in a straight forward, unvarnished fashion: the State's finances are a disaster and there are no easy solutions.  Unfortunately, it appears the public wants to hear none of it, and they are taking it out on the Governor.  In all of the significant measurements of popularity, favorable / unfavorable, job approval and job performance, the Governor's numbers have nosedived.  Most alarming, is the level of negative intensity within these shifts.  It appears that Governor Corzine is, admirably, taking the long view on fixing the State's problems and is banking on the fact that by the time his reelection comes around he will have positive results to show.  This is politics, however, and the public will only give you credit if you have credibility.  This poll seems to indicate that, if the Governor is not careful, there may not be a whole lot of people willing to listen when things turn around.

see also:
Survey Analysis
Democratic Comment
Tabular Results
Survey Details

Comment by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Academic Associate Michael P. Torpey (J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law). Michael is a former Chief of Staff to Governor Christine Todd Whitman and served as New Jersey Director of Campaign Operations for Bush-Cheney '04. Michael Torpey, Esq., can be reached at 609-394-0888.