Poll: Christie stops the bleeding

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie laughs while speaking during the Republican Jewish Coalition spring leadership meeting at The Venetian Las Vegas on March 29  in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) rapid decline in the polls has ceased, according to a new poll from Monmouth University.

The poll, conducted for the Asbury Park Press, shows Christie's approval rating at 51 percent — a point higher than it was in February. And the percentage of New Jerseyans who disapprove of Christie declined three points over the same span, from 44 percent to 41 percent.

Previous polling has shown Christie's approval rating dropping rapidly (and steadily) from its previous heights. Some pollsters showed him down 20 points from when news of his administration's bridge scandal first broke late last year.

As it stands, Christie remains in solid position — particularly for a Republican governor in a blue state.

The Monmouth poll isn't all good news for Christie, though. It shows nearly half of New Jerseyans continue to believe that he was involved in the politically motivated plot to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J., despite Christie's repeated denials and a Christie-sponsored report backing up that claim last week.

New Jerseyans say by a 52-30 margin that the investigation, conducted at Christie's behest by attorney Randy Mastro, was more about helping Christie than getting to the bottom of what happened.