document: Chris Christie A Strong 2012 Presidential Contender : Poll PHILADELPHIA -LRB- Reuters -RRB- - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie insists he is not running for president , but a new poll out on Thursday shows him running ahead of most Republicans in a hypothetical matchup against President Obama . He would trail the president by only six percentage points , according to a poll by New Jersey 's Fairleigh Dickinson University . Only fellow Republicans Mike Huckabee , former governor of Arkansas , and Mitt Romney , former governor of Massachusetts , poll better against Obama . '' `` That 's pretty good for a Jersey guy , '' '' said Peter Woolley , director of the university 's PublicMind poll . '' `` People do not see New Jersey as typical of America , though it is . And they do n't see New Jersey problems as typical of America , though they are . And Christie is very New Jersey . '' '' The telephone and cellphone poll of 800 registered voters nationwide showed Christie lagging Obama by 46 to 40 percent . The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percent . Huckabee would be in a dead heat with the president , at 46 percent each , and Romney would be nearly in a tie , trailing Obama 44 to 43 percent , the poll showed . By contrast , Obama would clobber former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin by 20 points , beat former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty by 14 , and former House speaker Newt Gingrich by 15 , according to the results . '' `` I know Christie is not running for president , '' '' Woolley said . '' `` But because New Jersey 's fiscal problems are a reflection of the nation 's fiscal problems , it is well worth testing his national appeal . '' '' -LRB- Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune -RRB- Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters . Click for Restrictions .
extractive_keyphrases: president governor thursday margin thomson reuters obama tim pawlenty publicmind running goldberg mitt romney alaska telephone massachusetts huckabee jersey christie percentage philadelphia presidential contender arkansas minnesota registered
abstractive_keyphrases: jersey's new jersey's fairleigh dickinson university republicans mike huckabee thomson