Darryl PaulsonChris Christie had a distinguished political career as a federal prosecutor who put organized crime members and terrorists in federal prisons. Elected as governor of New Jersey in 2009, Christie was easily elected in 2013 in a state that has been hostile to Republicans.
Christie’s 2013 re-election automatically thrust him to the front of the list of likely 2016 presidential candidates. He was on Mitt Romney’s short list of potential vice presidential candidates in 2012. The following year, Christie was at the front of the list of preferred Republican presidential candidates for 2016, according to several polls.
Christie’s national political ambitions suffered a serious setback in 2014 when individuals in his administration ordered the closing of lanes on the George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey and New York to punish a political opponent.
Christie was one of 17 Republican candidates who announced his intention to seek the presidency. For whatever reason, the feisty Christie was not able to connect with the voters. The high point of his campaign may have been his savage attack on Marco Rubio in the debate three days before the New Hampshire primary. He attacked Rubio as a scripted and superficial politician who was not ready to be president.
Christie finished a poor sixth in New Hampshire with only 7 percent of the vote. He blamed televised commercials from the Rubio campaign and its PACs for his defeat. The commercials attacked Christie for supporting expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and for destroying New Jersey’s credit rating. Most damaging was a commercial showing Christie’s warm embrace of President Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the state.
Reminiscent of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s embrace of Obama in Fort Myers in a similar situation, many Republican voters never forgave Christie.
In announcing his withdrawal from the campaign, Christie took a parting shot at Donald Trump saying that “speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that campaigns matter and it will always matter in leading the nation.”
Apparently, experience did not matter that much because Christie now has announced he’s endorsing Trump for the presidency. That decision took everyone by surprise, including many of Christie’s closest friends and supporters.
Alluding to the George Washington Bridge scandal, Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania and head of the Homeland Security Office under George W. Bush, called Trump and Christie “the wall and bridge team.”
Tony Fratto of Hamilton Place Strategies argued that Christie’s “days of leadership in the Republican Party are done.” Christie has gone from a serious federal prosecutor, a serious governor and a serious presidential candidate, to someone who will now be known for making an “unserious endorsement.”
The most damning criticism of Christie comes from a close friend, political colleague and chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard, Meg Whitman. She had served as national finance co-chair of Christie’s presidential campaign. Whitman called Trump “unfit” to be president and a “dishonest demagogue who plays to our worst fears.”
Whitman called Christie’s endorsement of Trump “an astounding display of political opportunism.” She concluded her statement by noting, “For some of us, principle and country still matter.”
I don’t think Meg and Chris will be going out for drinks and dinner this weekend.
Why would Christie endorse Trump after arguing during the campaign that Trump was not prepared to be president? One defense of the Christie endorsement is that he determined that Trump has the best chance of defeating the Democratic nominee in the fall and this is an attempt to start unifying the party.
Another interpretation is that the Christie endorsement is as much for Christie as it is for Trump. If Trump wins the presidency, Christie will be remembered as the individual who first supported Trump in a critical situation.
In exchange, Christie may have elevated his chance to become Vice President or, at least, attorney general. Politicians have sold out for far less.
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Darryl Paulson is Professor Emeritus of Government at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and resides in Palm Harbor, Florida. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
