Poll hints that independents may be souring on Chris Christie

How much of a hit has Gov. Chris Christie’s image taken because of the George Washington Bridge access lane closing scandal?

The latest McClatchy-Marist Poll gives us a hint.

The nationwide poll, released earlier this week, asks respondents about a series of head-to-head matchups between Republicans and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential race, the presumed Democratic front-runner.

While no Republican comes closer than eight points to Clinton, Christie drops to the middle of the pack in the one-on-one contests. Those Republicans who do better are Rep. Paul Ryan, 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

In Christie’s head-to-head with Clinton, respondents gave the former secretary of state a 21-point advantage over Christie.

Even worse for the governor is that in nearly all the break-out demographics, Christie comes up short in a battle against Clinton. Only among those who label themselves conservative or very conservative, tea party supporters and Republican does Christie have an advantage.

Why is this bad news?

Christie has always portrayed himself as a crossover candidate, one who could attract both Democrats and independents. And in his 2013 gubernatorial election, that was true. He received generous support from Democrats and a majority of the independent vote while cruising to a better than 20-point victory over Democratic challenger Barbara Buono.

But then the bridge scandal broke in early January, and the governor’s approval ratings have taken a hit, even though his support among Republicans remains strong. The McClatchey-Marist poll shows a similar problem. Independents, for example, break for Clinton 54 to 39 percent. Among political moderates, Christie loses 66 to 29 percent.

Christie can take heart that among Republicans, he still remains the top choice for the 2016 presidential nomination, tied with Huckabee. Both men received 13 percent of the support. But even that silver lining has a dark cloud. When the same question was asked in January, Christie had the support of 16 percent of Republicans, with 12 percent backing Ryan.

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