New Quinnipiac poll finally has a tiny bit of good news for beleaguered Democratic Governor Jon Corzine. Corzine still has a dismal approval rating (36%) and still trails his Republican challenger Chris Christie by a wide margin (9 points), but both numbers are up slightly from Quinnipiac's survey last month.Christie (R) 51 (-2 vs. last poll in July)
Corzine (D) 42 (+1)
Overall, Christie now leads Corzine by 12.1% in the RCP Average.
Corzine's 36% approval rating is a three point improvement from last month, while his disapproval rating dropped two points to 58%.
These slight improvements come amid one of the biggest corruption busts in New Jersey history. According to the Quinnipiac survey, 71% of voters say corruption is a "very serious problem" in New Jersey, with another 22% declaring it a "somewhat serious problem." Additionally, when asked which party is more associated with the corruption issue, 50% said the Democrats, while only 15% said Republicans and 34% said they didn't know.
Despite those numbers, when asked if the recent arrest of many New Jersey Democrats on corruption charges made them less inclined to vote for Corzine, 67% said "no" while only 28% said "yes."
Lastly, Corzine does lead Christie by six points (42-36) on the all important question "who would you rather spend an afternoon at the Sandy Hook beach with?"