Mitch Perry
Welcome to Tuesday, June 30 — also known as the last day you’ll be receiving annoying fundraising emails for … at least a few more days.
Yes, it’s the end of the fiscal second quarter, and candidates are flooding email boxes of those even marginally involved in politics to an all-time annoying level.
Meanwhile, Chris Christie is choosing this day to do what his entire political career has led to: running for president.
#TellingItLikeItIs is the theme that Team Christie is trotting out for the iconoclastic New Jersey governor. Yeah, that’s what one of Howard Cosell‘s signature catch phrases, uttered to silence critics who considered him an obnoxious bloviator.
But if you thought there was hardly a clamor for Bobby Jindal to enter the race, can I ask where the groundswell for a Christie presidency is?
It ain’t in the Garden State, where his support is at just 30 percent. And it’s not nationally with GOP primary voters.
According to Public Policy Polling, “Christie continues to be largely reviled by GOP voters — only 26% have a favorable opinion of him to 49% with an unfavorable one and he’s even polling now behind Carly Fiorina.” The only Republicans below Christie in that poll are Donald Trump, George Pataki and Lindsey Graham.
New Jersey’s financial house is in disarray; Its transportation system is in dire need of improvement. And there’s that little thing called BridgeGate. So again, what’s the rationale for the candidacy?
According to those close to Christie, his strategy is New Hampshire or bust. They think if he can catch fire there, momentum can then flow to the other states.
In other news …
Over 200 Tampa Bay area Democrats hot for a Hillary Clinton presidency jammed into Mise en Place last night to hear campaign manager Robbie Mook say a few things.
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The Tampa Theatre has about $10 million in needs, but although its supporters say the $1 million that Gov. Rick Scott denied them last week for infrastructure repairs hurts, they’ll get by as they always seem to do.
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The 64-ounce growler has been freed in Florida, and celebrating that fact will be two local lawmakers who helped repeal the bizarre ban. Tampa Rep. Dana Young and North Pinellas Republican Rep. Chris Sprowls will bar hop to four different craft breweries on Wednesday, the first day that such growlers are now available for purchase.
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U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy has joined with North Florida Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown on sponsoring a bill that would provide local police with more money to purchase body cameras.
