Christie's approval rating soars

A new survey shows Chris Christie nabbing his highest approval rating in a Farleigh Dickinson poll ever.

56% of New Jersey voters approve of Christie's job, while only 33% disapprove. That's +23% for a Republican governor in a blue state, and that's bloody good.

Apparently, Christie and Jersey residents have absorbed the New Jersey Nets' move quite well, as 50% of voters think the state is moving in the right direction.

Here are some key internals:

a. Men approve of his performance, 64%-27%, for a massive +37%. Even women give him a +9% approval rating.

b. Indies like the job he's doing by +22% and even Democrats aren't terribly opposed. He stands at 36%-51% with Jersey donkeys.

c. One year ago, his approval rating was 44%-44%, so this is a huge jump.

You know what amazes me?

Christie is becoming a bigger and bigger national figure, and has been one of Mitt's Romney's most fervent surrogates. Often, locals resent straying, nationally-ambitious eyes and, especially, the perception of increased partisanship and the attendant baggage of becoming a national political figure.

But Christie is defying that trend and actually becoming more popular.