Christie enjoys broad political appeal, according to poll

Holly Bailey
·National Correspondent

New Jersey Gov. Chris

Christie has cast himself as a lawmaker willing to buck political parties for the good of his state in his bid for a second term, and it’s a strategy that appears to be working.

A new, nationwide NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that Christie enjoys “nearly equal appeal” among Democrats, Republicans and independents—a unique position in the highly polarized world of politics.

According to the poll, 43 percent of Democrats, 41 percent of independents and 40 percent of Republicans view Christie in a “positive light.” All told, 41 percent of those polled view him positively and 12 percent negatively—while 29 percent said they were “not sure.”

The survey was based on telephone interviews with 1,000 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The poll found that Christie is far less polarizing than several other national officials, including President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—who, like Christie, is said to be considering a run for president in 2016.

Eighty-four percent of Democrats, 28 percent of independents and 11 percent of Republicans view Obama positively, according to the poll. Meanwhile, 83 percent of Democrats and 15 percent of Republicans said they view Clinton positively. (The poll did not disclose a specific number for independents for Clinton.)