Poll: New Jersey voters divided on potential Christie presidency, but weight not a factor

New Jersey voters are divided over whether Gov. Chris Christie (R) would make a good president, but the governor's weight isn't a factor, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac Poll released Tuesday found that 41 percent said Christie would make a good president, while 44 percent say he would not make a good president. Forty-six percent of voters say Christie should run for president in 2016, the poll also found. Meanwhile, 47 percent say he should not run.

Christie has repeatedly been mentioned as possible presidential candidate. Observers have also speculated that the New Jersey governor's weight might play a factor in the governor deciding whether to run for president and, if he decided to run in 2016, the strength of his candidacy.

But New Jerseyans don't care about their governor's weight, according to the poll. Four percent said they are "enthusiastic" about a presidential candidate who is overweight and 64 percent said they are comfortable with an overweight candidate. Just 17 percent say they have "reservations" about a candidate who is overweight, and 4 percent said they are outright uncomfortable with the idea.

Seventy percent of New Jersey voters approve of the job Christie is doing, the poll found, while 23 percent disapprove. Christie's approval rating has trended around the 70 percent range for the last three months, according to Quinnipiac.

Those high job-approval numbers spill over into the New Jersey governor's race, where Christie holds a lead of 90 percent to 4 percent among Republicans and 69 percent to 15 percent among independents. The Quinnipiac poll found Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono leads Christie among Democrats 53 percent to 29 percent.

Broken down by gender, Christie leads 65 percent to 21 percent among men and 55 percent to 29 percent among women.

The Quinnipiac poll also surveyed New Jerseyans on same sex marriage. The Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on a same-sex marriage case on Tuesday. The poll found 64 percent of those surveyed support same-sex marriage legislation, while 30 percent oppose it.  Seventy-two percent support a same-sex marriage referendum on the state ballot in November, while 22 percent opposite a referendum.

While the top New Jersey Republican enjoys high approval ratings in the state, more New Jersey voters also approve of the job President Obama is doing than those who disapprove. Fifty-four percent say they approve of Obama's job performance, while 42 percent say they disapprove. In February, the poll found 57 percent approve while 40 percent disapprove.

The poll was conducted between March 19 and 24 among 1,129 registered voters in New Jersey. The poll had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

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Vivus slumps on slow 4Q weight loss drug sales

NEW YORK -- Shares of Vivus Inc. declined Tuesday after the biopharmaceutical company reported disappointing sales of its weight loss drug Qsymia.

Vivus disclosed its financial results after the market closed Monday. The Mountain View, Calif., company said sales totaled $2 million in the latest quarter, which was below Wall Street estimates, and said it took a larger loss as its sales and marketing costs increased.

Shares of Vivus lost $1.19, or 9.6 percent, to $11.21 in morning trading.

Vivus began marketing Qsymia Sept. 17. Sales have been disappointing because of limited insurance coverage and high copays, and the drug is only available through mail order. The company said prescriptions continue to improve: it has filed 17,400 prescriptions over the month ended Feb. 15 and has filled about 57,000 prescriptions total.

Vivus has been trying to boost sales with supply agreements and a free trial program for prospective patients, and it is negotiating with regulators about allowing the drug to be dispensed at certain pharmacies. Vivus said the Food and Drug Administration will make a decision on the pharmacy application in April.

Cowen & Co. analyst Simos Simeonidis questioned the company's marketing strategy and said sales of Qsymia won't improve until Vivus makes a more substantial marketing effort. He now expects sales of the drug to total $43 million in 2013, down from his previous estimate of $62 million. Analysts expect sales of Qsymia to eventually reach billions of dollars per year.

Vivus said it lost $56.7 million, or 56 cents per share, during the fourth quarter. A year earlier it took a loss of $11.5 million, or 13 cents per share.

Analysts expected a loss of 25 cents per share and $3 million in revenue, according to FactSet.

For 2012, Vivus lost $139.9 million, or $1.42 per share, wider than its net loss of $46.1 million, or 55 cents per share, in 2011. Its revenue totaled $2 million.

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