All the buzz around Chris Christie as a possible presidential candidate is warranted according to a poll released Friday that found the New Jersey Governor trailing President Barack Obama by just one percentage point.
A Rasmussen poll found that 43 percent of likely voters would vote for Christie, while 44 percent of likely voters would choose Obama.
However, many voters are still undecided when it comes to the New Jersey governor, suggesting that despite the hype, he is not yet all that well known to the general electorate. 35 percent say they are unsure what they think of him, but 38 percent say they hold a somewhat to very favorable opinion of him, while 27 percent say they hold a somewhat to very unfavorable opinion of him.
Voters are also skeptical that Christie will actually get in the race. 45 percent said it was not very likely to not at all likely that he will run, while just 26 percent called it somewhat to very likely. 29 percent said they were unsure.
As for whether or not he should get in, people remain undecided, including members of his own party. 43 percent of Republicans say they are unsure if he should get in. But those with an opinion, more (32 percent) think he should get in than believe he shouldn’t (25 percent). Among the general electorate, however, just 20 percent say Christie should enter the race, while 37 percent say he should stay out. 43 percent are undecided.
In Rasmussen’s most recent polling, the only other candidate to compete as well as Christie against Obama is Mitt Romney, who tops the president 44 percent to 42 percent in a poll released Friday.
Following a week of intense speculation over whether he will jump in, The Star-Ledger, a New Jersey paper, reported Friday morning that Christie is “rethinking” his opposition to a run.
The poll is based on automated calls to 1,000 likely voters from September 28 to September 29, at the height of Christie speculation.