and gone, new ones have emerged, and the state continues to struggle with an unemployment rate that's greater than the national average. Yet, Governor Christe remains in good standing with a broad cross-section of registered voters." In 2013, shortly after having handled Hurricane Sandy, Gov. Christie began the year with strong approval ratings from New Jersey residents. According to a Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll conducted in January, the governor received the "second highest approval rating the poll has measured for Chris Christie." The numbers showed that a sizable majority (73%) of registered voters approved of the way Christie is handling his job as governor, and (19%) disapproved. Jenkins added: "The state is facing significant challenges in the post-Sandy era. Yet voters appear largely pleased with not only where the state is headed, but are even happier with the governor's leadership. It's hard to find such a well-liked political figure in this political rancorous day and age." In a poll conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s PublicMind Governor Christie's approval ratings were down slightly from where they were in March 2013. Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters indicated their approval of his performance, with 26% who disapprove and 10% stating they are unsure how to judge the governor. Jenkins states, "Should his appeal continue through the campaign season, he stands poised to potentially help his party in the legislature in November." Following another release Governor Christie's approval numbers remain virtually unchanged from June, despite a high-profile veto of gun legislation. In June, Governor Christie garnered a 61 percent job approval rating. Today, that number is 58%, with 29% who say they disapprove of the governor's job performance. Discussions on the governor's vetoed bipartisan gun control legislation during the poll did not appear to significantly affect his ratings. Jenkins asserts, "Use of his executive power in this capacity does not seem to have hurt his standing in the eyes of a majority of New Jerseyans." By January 23, 2014, following the Bridgegate'' revelations, Christie's unfavorable views doubled—up 17 percent—from the previous January. A Rutgers-Eagleton poll, published January 24, showed that the Fort Lee scandal had hurt his standings among New Jersey residents. Christie's favorability rating, as governor, was shown to be 46%, down 22 points from just before his landslide re-election victory in November 2013, with 43% having an unfavorable view. While the majority of residents still approve his overall performance as governor,