New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s approval rating continues to soar in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday finds Christie with a 74 percent approval rating in the state—the highest rating Quinnipiac has found in 17 years of polling on New Jersey governors. And in a boon for Christie’s bid for a second term, 71 percent of voters say the governor deserves to be re-elected this November.

Christie’s surging poll numbers seem to be a direct response to his stewardship of the state in the aftermath of Sandy. In October, before the storm, Christie’s approval rating was 56 percent and just 52 percent said he deserved to win a second term.

Perhaps the most notable finding in the latest poll is Christie’s popularity among Democrats—which has long been the GOP governor’s biggest weakness in the mostly Democratic state. According to Quinnipiac, 56 percent of Democratic voters approve of the job Christie is doing. And a slight plurality of Democrats—48 percent—say Christie should be re-elected, compared to the 43 percent who oppose his bid for a second term.

The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percent.