New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s favorability rating has rebounded after taking a hit in the spring and about half of New Jerseyans continue to approve of the job he is doing as governor, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released this morning.

47% of residents have a favorable opinion of the governor, up by double-digits
since March, the poll shows, while the number of New Jerseyans who are unfavorable toward Murphy remains relatively stable from six months ago, now at 33%.

Another 15% said they have no opinion on him.

Murphy’s job approval rating has held relatively steady in the past year and a half, with minor movement.

54% of residents said they approve of the job Murphy is doing as governor, compared with 37% who disapprove; 9 percent are unsure.

“Driven by increased positivity among Democrats and independents, Governor Murphy’s
numbers are now back to where they were this time last year – not at his pandemic highs, but better than when he started his first term and certainly better than six months ago,” Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling (ECPIP) at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, said in a statement.

“The fatigue of a gubernatorial election and a pandemic seem to have worn off as life and governing in the state return to some sense of normal.”

While two-thirds of Democrats were in the governor’s corner in March, now eight in 10 have a favorable view of him.

Likewise, while a quarter had no opinion in the spring, half that number now say the same.

Similarly, independents now are more favorable of Murphy by double digits and less disapproving of the job he is doing than they were in the spring.

On the other hand, Republicans remain mostly stable on their negativity toward the governor.

Eagleton surveyed 1,006 adults from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.