Poll: Christie's Approval Rating Rising

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- A new poll finds more New Jerseyans now have a favorable opinion of Gov. Chris Christie.

The Quinnipiac University Poll out Thursday found 51 percent of voters surveyed approved of Christie's job performance, while 36 percent disapproved.

Quinnipiac's last poll, issued in June, had shown 44 percent approved of Christie and 43 percent disapproved.

Meanwhile, 51 percent of respondents in the latest poll described the first-term Republican governor as a "leader,'' while 43 percent call him a "bully.'' And 46 percent say he's "confrontational,'' while 43 percent call him "honest and refreshing.''

The poll surveyed 1,190 voters from Aug. 9-17. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

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