Those looking for hard evidence that the scandal surrounding the closing of commuter lanes at the mouth of the George Washington Bridge in 2013 — colloquially known as Bridgegate — has had a real impact on Gov. Chris Christie’s career might find it in this chart, released by Quinnipiac University along with their most recent New Jersey politics poll yesterday.
Correlation does not imply causation, of course, but the chart shows a massive decline in Christie’s job approval rating among New Jersey residents right around the time Bridgegate started making the news — suggesting a governor whose reputation was deeply stung by the scandal, and one who has yet to recover as he inches closer to deciding on a presidential run.
Close observers will note that Christie also began ratcheting up his nation-wide travels as head of the Republican Governors Association around that time, interpreted by some as abandonment of his stateside obligations, which might have helped hasten the drop.
WHAM! Bridgegate hit like a 10-car pileup on the GW Bridge last year & Gov Christie's job approval has yet to recover pic.twitter.com/fDxVlclwm0
— Quinnipiac University Poll (@QuinnipiacPoll) January 22, 2015
