Last week, an NBC News/Marist poll found that seven in ten Americans hadn’t changed their opinion of Chris Christie due to Bridgegate, and about a third of the country thinks he’s “mostly not telling the truth.” As is often the case, a new Pew Research Center/USA Today poll tells a different story. Among people who have heard of the scandal, the new survey found 58 percent don’t believe Christie’s claim that he was duped by treacherous aides. And while Americans have learned more about the governor, they don’t like what they see. Christie’s favorability rating is essentially unchanged from a year ago – dropping from 40 percent to 38 percent – but many who previously had no opinion of the governor now dislike him. Thirty-four percent view him unfavorably, compared with 17 percent a year ago. This is still only the second most upsetting poll Christie’s seen in the last week, following the huge decrease in his favorability ratings among iconic New Jersey rock stars and the cast of Morning Joe.
