Christie Heavy Favorite for Re-Election in New Jersey

Latest poll numbers look good for him

Three-quarters of New Jersey voters approve of Governor Chris Christie's job performance and nearly seven in 10 say he deserves to be elected to a second term in November, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday.

Christie, a Republican who is often mentioned as a potential presidential contender in 2016, has seen his popularity skyrocket since superstorm Sandy ripped through the state last fall.

The governor's embrace of President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and his angry rebuke of the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for its initial refusal to approve a storm aid package, helped cement his image as an independent-minded executive capable of rising above partisanship for the good of his constituents.