In a popularity contest between New Jersey celebrities, rock star Bruce Springsteen wins hands down over Gov. Chris Christie, whose star power has faded since the George Washington Bridge scandal erupted, a new poll has found.
According to a poll by
Fairleigh Dickinson University conducted March 3 to March 9 of 703 of the state's registered voters, 67 percent have a favorable opinion of The Boss, compared to 46 percent who have a positive view of the Republican governor who continues to be considered a possible top contender for the White House in 2016.
"Of course, one is a case of no love, and the other is a case of requited love," Krista Jenkins, professor of political science and director of PublicMind, said in a statement.
"But either way, music man doesn't appear to sway any voters. The idea that it matters what celebrities think or say about politicians is just not supported by the evidence."
The governor is a major fan of Springsteen and has attended more than 100 of his concerts. Springsteen, on the other hand, who campaign for President Barack Obama, does not return the Republican's admiration.
In January, Springsteen
appeared on NBC's "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" mocking Christie for his role in the Bridge-gate scandal by performing a rewritten version of his song "Born to Run." Just a year and a half earlier, Christie was on Fallon's show singing the praises of Springsteen and his own rendition of the rocker's "Thunder Road."
The findings also indicate that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have a positive view of Springsteen at 79 percent compared to 51 percent. The parties are more split in their views of Christie with 73 percent of Republicans taking a positive view of Christie compared to 26 percent of Democrats.
The poll highlights just how far Christie's popularity has slipped over the last year. A poll released in
February 2013 gave Christie the highest job approval rating of any New Jersey Governor in polling history at 74 percent.
It appears, however, that Christie beats Springsteen in one category: name identification. The poll showed that 7 percent of New Jersey voters have never heard of Springsteen, compared with 1 percent for Christie.
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