Declaring himself a 2016 GOP candidate for president, 52-year-old New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie started his uphill battle for the GOP nomination. Polling relative to other GOP candidates at 4%, Christine finds himself in a deep hole, hoping to attract one of the nation’s GOP-sympathizing billionaires to fund his campaign. “America is tired of hand wringing and indecisiveness and weakness,” Christie told a well-choreographed launch at his alma mater, Livingston High School. Christie reads the latest polls that show President Barack Obama’s approval ratings hitting 50%, the highest level in two years. When Obama took office Jan. 20, 2009, the economy was in shambles, suffering the worst recession since the Great Depression. While things aren’t perfect in domestic or foreign policy, polls show voters believe its light-years better than when the last Republican left the White House.
Christie has some experience in 2012 running for president, one time considered a desirable VP pick for GOP nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008, Romney picked Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a GOP Tea Party favorite to burnish his conservative credentials. While no one knows what would have happened had Mitt picked Christie as his running mate, Ryan quickly sank Romney’s White House hopes. Selling himself as a moderate Republican capable of working on both sides of the aisle, Christie actually acts like a party boss, frequently shouting down hecklers at public meetings. Among the GOP’s most natural public speakers, Christie was once considered a 2016 frontrunner before the Sept. 9, 2013 lane closure on the George Washington Bridge caused snarling traffic jams into Fort Lee, New York, attributed to Christie’s office.
Still under investigation by the New Jersey legislature, close members of Christie’s staff were fired, forced to resign or indicted on federal charges, including Port Authority Director Bill Baroni, Christie Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly and Port Authority official David Wildstein. Christie, who’s knows as a micromanager, denied knowing anything about the GW Bridge lane closings as political payback to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not backing Christie’s 2012 reelection. Pretending that he’s in the clear, most GOP front runners wouldn’t touch Christie as possible VP pick knowing the ongoing investigation. Christie’s brash political style played well before Bridgegate, painting the 52-year-old New Jersey governor as a kind of hotheaded political boss. Christie hopes to appeal again to voters disgusted with Washington’s unending partisan squabbles and gridlock.
Viewed favorably only 26% of New Jersey voters according to a June 15 Monmouth University poll, Christie has a tough sell to Republican primary voters heading into Iowa and New Hampshire. Fifty-five percent of Republicans wouldn’t consider voting for Christie in the 2016 primaries, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. “There’s a path for Christie, but it’s a narrow one,” said Patrick Murray director of the Monmouth poll. “His high negatives and wide name recognition put a ceiling on his growth. He doesn’t have much room for error,” making his primary run even more likely. While only announced June 15, 62-year-old former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ranks among GOP frontrunners, in an already crowded field. Christie has the unenviable task of re-branding himself for national consumption after the Bridgegate scandal hurt his credibility.
Christie ripped Obama and Democratic frontrunner former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “After seven years of a weak and feckless foreign policy, we’d better not turn it over to his second mate Hillary Clinton,” Christie told his audience hinting at more muscular U.S. foreign policy. Criticizing Obama’s foreign policy as “weak and feckless” suggests Christie wouldn’t hesitate to once again commit U.S. ground troops to a new Mideast war. While boasting about New Jersey’s recovery under Christie’s reign, his state benefited greatly from the economic recovery under Obama. With the Federal Reserved Board on the verge or raising interest rates this Fall because of what they’re calling “full employment,” it’s difficult for Christie, or any other GOP candidate, to argue the economy hasn’t done well under Obasma’s over six years in the Oval Office.
Christe starts his long-shot bid for the GOP nomination in far worse shape than he was in 2012. With the dark cloud of Bridgegate following him around, none of the other GOP candidates want to get too close to Christie while he starts his 2016 campaign. While all publicity seems to help politicians, Christie appeals to crossover Democrats, moderate Republicans and independents looking ahead to the general election. Competing against conservative Republican primaries, Christie must appeal to religious and social conservatives looking for the red meat dished out by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Walking a moderate tightrope doesn’t help Christie in the primaries where GOP party faithful look for Christie’s public opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion and attempts to fight Obamacare. If Christie leans too far left or right, he’ll wind up in the same place.
