New Jersey Voters Want Chris Christie To Resign Because Of Presidential Campaign

The majority of New Jersey voters think Gov. Chris Christie should resign, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Thursday. The poll results come as Christie struggles to continue his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, in spite of widespread voter opposition and a lack of support from his home state.

Roughly 53 percent of New Jersey voters said that Christie's out-of-state campaigning hurts his ability to do his job as governor, according to the poll, reported NJ Advance Media. Additionally, 59 percent of voters believe that the governor's decisions to sign or veto bills are more about his presidential run than about what is best for New Jersey.

Christie, who announced his candidacy in late June, has been sharply criticized for spending much of his time on the campaign trail. The second-term governor has spent almost 55 percent of the year outside of the state, according to NJ Advance Media.

The poll revealed that 54 percent of voters want Christie to step down, compared to 41 percent who think he should stay in office. But a recent proposal by New Jersey Democrats to force Christie -- and future governors of the state -- to leave office if they run for a higher position remains unpopular. Around 52 percent of voters believed that Christie should be allowed to stay as governor after they were told the proposed rule.

"New Jerseyans want the governor to resign now that he is officially in the 2016 primary race, but they want him to do it on his own terms," said Ashley Koning, assistant director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University, according to NJ Advance Media.

Christie is still trailing behind the other candidates in the polls, with Public Policy Polling placing his current support at 1 percent Tuesday. A previous poll conducted by Rutgers-Eagleton also revealed that the majority of New Jersey voters did not think Christie could not be described as "presidential."