Poll: Christie best in Sandy response

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NEW YORK, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- New York City voters think New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did the best job among top public officials after Hurricane Sandy hit, a poll found.

The Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday said New Yorkers overwhelmingly said President Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo all did a "good" or "excellent" job after the devastating storm, but Christie outperformed them.

Asked who did the best job, 36 percent responded Christie, 22 percent Obama, 15 percent Cuomo and 12 percent Bloomberg.

Eighty-nine percent of Big Apple voters said Christie's response was "excellent" or "good," followed by 85 percent for Cuomo, 84 percent for Obama and 75 percent for Bloomberg.

"The storm-of-the-century brings out the best in Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New Yorkers say. But that love fest between New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie and President Barack Obama seems to have moved voters especially," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "While all four leaders get very high marks -- it seems a hug or two never hurts."

The poll also found voters by a 51-41 margin said they thought government and relief agencies favored Manhattan over the other city boroughs, though Manhattan voters didn't think so by a 47-44 margin.

The effort by first responders was rated "good" or "excellent" by 86 percent, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority came in at 75 percent. Utility companies, saddled with trying to restore power to millions of homes, were rated "good" or "excellent" by just 37 percent, with 58 percent rating them "not so good" or "poor."

The Red Cross came in at 66 percent "good" or "excellent."

People liked Bloomberg's odd-even gas rationing system 85 percent to 12 percent.

Those surveyed were strongly on board with the belief that climate change is the reason for more frequent large storms such as Sandy and Irene, 78 percent to 17 percent.

Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,165 New York City voters by land-line phones and cellphones Nov. 14-18. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.