A new Monmouth University poll finds New Jersey voters are more positive about U.S. Sen. Cory Booker's presidential run than they were about former Gov. Chris Christie's bid. But there are mixed feelings about Booker's run.

Monmouth University Poll Director Patrick Murray says 43 percent in the poll feel that the junior Democratic senator should resign the Senate to run.

"It is not quite an enthusiastic endorsement," Murray said.

On the other hand, when polled about the senator's ability to represent the Garden State while he's out campaigning, Murray says, "34 percent say that he would be a able to serve effectively as a senator while he is doing this job, and 58 percent say he will not be able to do that."

Almost 4 in 10 New Jerseyans believe Booker has a better shot at either becoming president or winning his party's nomination than Christie did four years ago.

"In terms of his chances, about 37 percent say he has a decent shot to win the Democratic nomination; 28 percent say that he is a long shot, and 26 percent say that he has absolutely no chance whatsoever to do that. It is not like they think that he is going to run in there and be the top contender. But it is not necessarily that they are saying that there is no way that he should be doing this."

Murray says when you look back at Christie's Republican run, just 27 percent said that they thought that he would make a good president.

"We also found that 57 percent, a majority of New Jerseyans, said back in 2015 that if he is running for president, Christie needs to step down."

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