Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio have officially announced their campaigns for the President of the United States. But when--or will--Chris Christie announce his?
Christie used to be the center of attention in pretty much every political sphere. He was a moderate with some liberal leanings, so he was electable, he was (and still is) governor of a liberal state, and had appeal inside of every group. He was no one's first choice, but he did well in most polls he was in. Then... bridgegate. His poll numbers fell, the media cried scandal, and his overall polls in this election are sub-par. The RCP average of puts Christie at a mere 5.5% in the polls, behind Rubio (7.3%), Huckabee (8.3%), Carson (9%), Paul (9.8%), Cruz (10.5%), Walker (15.3%), and Bush (16.4%). This is a pretty low showing, especially for a man with widespread name recognition. The fact he is behind Walker, an unknown Governor (well, known to political fans of course) who seems to be unable to answer basic questions to the media, and Carson who has the least name recognition is pretty sad.
This is why people think he may not run. Politico ran an article praising the liberal-leaning John Kaisch and claims that "Christie [is] looking like he is going to stay out [of the race]." But I don't buy this claim. RCP has posted an interview from NBC news with the New Jersey governor, and he seems... dedicated to running. He is saying "I don't know", of course, but the way he answers the questions was one of a politician fancying a presidential one, not a man focusing on staying a governor. When he was asked a question in regards to gay marriage, he knew he has to oppose it in the primaries, but that the general public opposes him. So he answered like a politician: by not answering at all. He said the Supreme Court will decide it soon, making the issue moot. He said in the interview:
I think a governor is going to be the nominee, a governor or a former governor, because I believe that our party and our country need someone who's actually run something. And while I have great respect for a number of those folks, I don't believe that we've done well with the experiment of a one-term U.S. senator being president of the United States...Feisty. He went after poor Marco with this comment--someone who would make a much better president than Obama. Yet, the experience point is an effective one and will be replayed in attack ads if Rubio continues to have fairly decent (7.3%) poll numbers--which may even increase.
I really think the way he presented himself in the interview shows that he will probably run. And he is campaigning in NH (where he even polls ahead of Cruz and Rubio), but he is just "testing the waters" as a neutral reporter would say. But hey, I am not working for a big news company so I can say what I want. He is probably running. I would be very surprised if he doesn't run. And he is a pragmatist who is a great speaker and knows how to rile up a crowd. He is not my first choice (I like Rubio, Santorum, and call me a heretic but I like Bush as well), but I don't think you should assume he is going to lose or not run. His biggest competition will end up being Jeb Bush, no doubt, but I really do think Christie has a chance of making a splash in this election.
And, of course, Chris Christie did make an appearance at CPAC where he told us to not count him out!
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