Gov. Murphy’s voter approval dips but remains high going into his re-election year

Gov. Phil Murphy attends a GOTV event for Congressman Andy Kim at his office in Willingboro, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.

Gov. Phil Murphy speaks in Willingboro earlier this month.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media

After seeing his popularity with New Jerseyans sky-rocket during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy’s approval numbers have dipped but remain high, according to a new poll.

The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Tuesday shows 62% of Garden State adults approve of the job Murphy is doing as governor, while 33% disapprove. That’s down 15 percentage points from the sky-high 77% approval he received in May as he navigated the first wave of COVID-19.

The survey also shows 54% of New Jerseyans have a favorable impression of the Democratic governor (down from 59% in May), while 28% have an unfavorable impression (up from 20%).

And 26% of residents give Murphy an “A” for how he’s handling the pandemic, down from 39% in May. He receives a “B” from 33%, a “C” from 17%, a “D” from 9%, and an “F” from 15%.

By comparison, 22% of New Jerseyans give their local officials an “A," down from 30%.

Though New Jersey is a heavily Democratic state, it’s not a shock Murphy’s numbers dropped considering the pushback he’s received from Republicans for his progressive policies, widespread coronavirus restrictions, and how the state has handled the virus in nursing homes — where more than 7,000 people have died of COVID-19.

But the approval and favorability are still high heading into a re-election year in 2021.

Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, said his favorability rating is still one of the all-time highest for a New Jersey governor.

“But it seems the Governor’s rally ‘round the flag moment’ from last spring is dissipating as the pandemic continues on and as decisions regarding public health and the economy grow tougher," Koning said.

Meanwhile, only 16% of adults in New Jersey give President Donald Trump, a Republican, an “A” for his handling of the pandemic, while 50% give him an “F.”

The poll — which was conducted before Election Day — found a vast majority of Democrats (81%) and a plurality of independents (41%) give Trump an “F," though 49% of Republicans give him an “A” and 31% give him a “B."

The survey was held via phone from Oct. 18-24, with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.8 percentage points.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.

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