Poll: More Than Half Suspect Christie Lying About His Knowledge of Bridgegate

A new poll of registered New Jersey voters finds that 53 percent of respondents find it unlikely Governor Chris Christie didn’t know about the supposed “traffic study” that shut down the George Washington Bridge in September of last year.

“A defining characteristic of the governor has been the public’s perception that he can be relied upon to speak honestly about issues that are both easy and difficult. At least on this issue, the public seems to be saying that, on balance, there’s more to the story than he’s so far revealed,” said Krista Jenkins, professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University and director of PublicMind, the group responsible for the poll.

The poll also found that Christie’s approval rating has fallen since his highs after Hurricane Sandy. However, at 48 percent, he still has a higher approval than disapproval rating, which is at 38 percent. Also, in this post-Bridgegate atmosphere, 26 percent of independents said they now dislike Christie, up from 20 percent in a poll taken last October.

Additionally, the poll of 734 registered voters found that 85 percent of them are paying close attention to news about the bridge closing scandal.

Finally, the poll also found that Christie’s proposal to lengthen the school year to improve education is not finding much support among those polled – 41 percent said a longer school day and year would do nothing to improve education.