The Christie campaign also announced six more hires to support expanding efforts. “I’m leading by, as you all say, a lot”. “It’s good to be attacked”.
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Though Bush is not a military veteran, he has been traveling throughout New Hampshire frequently with retired military veterans and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, to boost his national security credentials. Trump gets 35% among GOP voters – followed by Cruz at 18%, Rubio at 13%, and Ben Carson at 9%. One excoriates the New Jersey governor for his moderate stances. We wrote yesterday how Rubio has a path to success in the early states (the GOP establishment rallies around him, GOP voters care more about electability and a contrast with Hillary Clinton than anything else).
Chris Christie fired away at Marco Rubio Tuesday, after a super PAC supporting Rubio, Conservative Solutions, put up a pair of ads in New Hampshire attacking Christie. Still, aides in those same campaigns look at Christie less as a long-term threat than a roadblock to their broader strategy. They highlight, among other things, New Jersey’s budget deficit.
But as he amps up his rhetoric, what Rubio doesn’t mention on the trail is that many of his biggest advocates in Congress have been outspoken supporters of the very bill Rubio is attacking Texas Sen. A super PAC supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is running an ad unfavorably comparing with Bush the records both Christie and Kasich.
Previously the organization told donors in an internal email that Rubio, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and Ben Carson are the only candidates with a chance of becoming the Republican nominee.
While Rubio himself isn’t legally allowed to coordinate with the outside group, he didn’t hesitate to endorse their message. “Why? Christie’s record. He instituted an Internet sales tax, supported Common Core and liberal energy policies”.
Right now the Republican field is full and it’s anyone’s race. “I guess that same person now must have convinced Marco that going negative against Chris Christie is what he needs to do”.
But those ads are likely just the beginning. Their credit has been downgraded. Monday night’s town hall alone may have provided a key quote.
So say the super PACs helping the New Jersey governor’s rivals.
For Christie’s part, the attacks are equal parts validation and opportunity.
Christie’s pitch: He’s a Republican governor in a Democrat-dominated state who has fought tooth and nail with an unfriendly legislature to move conservative priorities forward. Another revives the George Washington Bridge revenge traffic-jam scandal in 2013 and brings up New Jersey’s paltry job growth. “Unless they found some extraordinary piece of information that invalidates them, I think people understand at the end of an election these things sort of happen”. The president took Christie’s late-night call and the hiccup with FEMA was quickly resolved.
The speech appears aimed at trying to sell Christie as a less risky alternative to Trump.
Christie started the exchange with Rubio by criticizing the Florida senator’s voting record.
As to Christie’s pathway forward, it’s not unlike many of his rivals.
He nonetheless paid most attention to Clinton, who was also set to campaign in New Hampshire that day.
For that to pathway to exist, New Hampshire remains the key. Or last April, when Joy Behar told Christie on “The View”: “You’re toast”.
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