According to the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, Christie is a known quantity. Among possible GOP 2016 contenders, only 10 percent aren’t sure about how they feel about him. Only Mike Huckabee does better on that score.

But that familiarity has only led to high unfavorable ratings for Christie. Some 54 percent of likely 2016 GOP caucus-goers have an unfavorable view of the New Jersey governor. That’s up from 45 percent in October, and only Donald Trump does worse, with a 68 percent unfavorable rating. (The difference is that Trump isn’t running for president, nor is he busy trying to convince people that they should really like him.)

Christie does do better in New Hamphire. There, 59 percent give him favorable marks, but his 29 percent unfavorable rating is tied for the highest non-Trump number (with Mike Huckabee). And this is the state that is supposed to be Christie’s (a Northeasterner) strength.