Getty Poll: Majority of N.J. voters say Christie should quit White House race If he doesn't leave the race, a plurality said he should leave state office instead.

New Jersey voters have a message for their governor: Come home, or resign.

More than six-in-10, or 61 percent, of all voters in the latest Quinnipiac University poll conducted in the state said that Gov. Chris Christie should abandon his White House bid and return full-time to Trenton. Just 33 percent said Christie, who polled fourth among Republican presidential candidates in the survey, should stay in the race. Even among Republicans, just 53 percent said Christie should stay in the race, while 40 percent said he should call it a day when it comes to his presidential ambitions.


If he doesn't leave the race, a plurality said he should leave state office instead.

Asked whether Christie should stay in office or resign to exclusively run for president, 45 percent said he should keep his day job and run for president at the same time, while 51 percent said he should resign the office from which he was first elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2013. For this and most of the questions asked, the results break down a decidedly partisan line, with strong majorities of Republicans (73 percent to 24 percent) and Democrats (74 percent to 21 percent) wanting Christie to stay in office and to resign, respectively.

Approximately 63 percent said that the campaign is distracting Christie from issues at home, while 33 percent again said that the trail was not a distraction. Just 42 percent of Republicans called it a distraction, compared to 79 percent of Democrats.

On every issue tested, including leadership qualities, economic issues, the state budget and education, Christie earned positive marks from Republicans but negative ones from Democrats. On whether their governor is trustworthy, for example, 46 percent said they thought he was, while 48 percent said he is not. Among Republicans, 76 percent to 21 percent said Christie is trustworthy, but among Democrats, just 24 percent said their governor is trustworthy, with 69 percent in disagreement.

Meanwhile, Manhattan business mogul Donald Trump crushed the field with 31 percent, followed by Ben Carson at 16 percent, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 15 percent and Christie at 8 percent. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz trailed the home-state governor with 7 percent, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina with 4 percent each. Other candidates received 1 percent support or less, with 6 percent undecided.

The latest numbers come as Christie is relegated to Tuesday's undercard Fox Business debate in Milwaukee after failing to earn an average of 2.5 percent in four polls selected by the network as part of its inclusion criteria.

Among Democratic voters, Hillary Clinton holds a 33-point lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 56 percent to 23 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley earned 2 percent, with 12 percent undecided.

The poll was conducted via landlines and cellphones Nov. 4-8, surveying 1,456 voters overall with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points. Among the 481 Republicans surveyed, the margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points, and the 538 Democrats surveyed carry a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.