Republicans will hate Chris Christie for proving President Obama isn't a toxic asset For Republicans, this might just be the worst part of Chris Christie's sinful embrace of President Obama after Hurricane Sandy: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's approval rating has leaped 19 percentage points since superstorm Sandy slammed the state, as voters by a wide margin applaud his response to the crisis, a Rutgers-Eagleton poll said on Wednesday. The Republican governor, who will face re-election in 2013 and is considered a contender for the U.S.