[lorrieholdridge]

NJ.com: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...se_to_oba.html

If Gov. Chris Christie ran for president in 2012, he would lose to President Barack Obama in New Jersey, according to a Rasmussen poll released today.

The poll found 49 percent would back Obama and 44 percent would support Christie with the remaining 8 percent unsure or supporting another candidate, the conservative-leaning polling firm found. The poll asked 500 likely New Jersey voters yesterday and had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

If the nominee were former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, the poll found nearly identical results, with 49 percent supporting Obama and 43 percent Romney.

The poll found that 53 percent of voters either approve or strongly approve of the job Obama is doing as president. The poll also found 53 percent approve of Christie's job as governor. In other polls conducted in the state, Christie has recently seen a drop in approval numbers.