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Republican presidential hopefuls also taking a backseat to President Obama

If the Iowa Republicans who flew to New Jersey to urge Gov. Chris Christie to seek their party’s presidential nomination next year had known the results of a Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Public Mind nationwide poll, they could have saved their money and time.

The poll made public Friday finds that Americans’ opinion of Christie is slipping as their opinion of President Obama grows.

In a head-to-head match-up against Obama, Christie trails 34 percent to 50 percent, a backslide from 40 percent to 46 percent measured in March, according to the poll of registered voters.

Obama’s approval rating is slightly positive, 47 percent to 45 percent, an improvement from a negative 44 percent to 48 percent during his previous trial heat with Christie in March. Meanwhile, Christie’s approval back home in New Jersey took a turn for the worse, declining to 44 percent to 44 percent in on May 24 from 51 percent to 41 percent in early April.

“The president has had a better spring than the governor of New Jersey,” Prof. Peter Woolley, the poll’s director, said. “As tough as the governor is, he has no Navy Seals to brighten his day, and he can’t use the helicopter whenever he wants. Instead, New Jersey voters are showing signs of budget-cutting fatigue — and budget reform happens to be the governor’s specialty.”

In fact, Obama beats all Republican comers in trial heats, despite that three of five voters (61 percent) continue to say the country is “on the wrong track,” and just 28 percent say the nation is headed in the right direction.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney performs the best of a poorly performing lot, trailing the president by six points, 39 percent to 45 percent. Romney also attracts four of five Republicans and Republican “leaners,” a better showing than the rest of the field.

“Since Romney is by far the best known in the field, it would mean instant death if polls did not show him outperforming the field,” Woolley said.

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who is expected to announce her candidacy soon, trails 19 points behind at 32 percent to 51 percent. But she is indistinguishable from former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (33 percent to 52 percent), or former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (30 percent to 50 percent. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty lags in the pack, losing 29 percent to 56 percent.

“It’s a good thing they’re getting an early start with the campaigns,” Woolley said. “They need the time.”

The poll of 826 registered voters nationwide was conducted by telephone using both landlines and cell phones from June 1, through Tuesday, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM