New Jersey's Fiscal Woes Imperil An Already-Damaged Chris Christie
The scandal over a made-up study that badly disrupted traffic at the George Washington Bridge may not be New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's biggest problem after all.
Less than a year after the charismatic governor was the toast of the Republican Party and a leading contender to run for the White House in 2016, the story was supposed to be about a New Jersey economy that he had managed to turn around and budget problems he had been able to solve. That narrative appears to be unraveling.
Almost six months into his second term as governor, Christie faces a more than $800 million budget gap. The state's credit rating - already downgraded twice by each of the three main rating agencies - could be hit again, while the state's public unions are suing over Christie's decision to slash mandatory payments to the pension fund by 60 percent.
At the same time, New Jersey's economy is less than buoyant - its jobless rate is 6.9 percent, higher than the national rate of 6.3 percent.
His failures on the fiscal front, though, could haunt him more than the investigations into the scandal, widely known as Bridgegate, political strategists said. Christie already faced an uphill struggle against conservative Republicans because he has not taken aggressive stances on some social issues, such as gun control and gay marriage. He can now also be attacked by Republican opponents over his ability to run New Jersey in a fiscally sound way.
"This has the potential to be a much bigger problem for Christie's 2016 prospects than Bridgegate," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist. "The best he can do to boost his chances in 2016 is to get New Jersey's fiscal state in order."
Read more from Edith Honan and Gabriel Debenedetti at Reuters
Christie’s Biggest Battle Isn’t Scandal
For Gov. Chris Christie, it’s his state’s budget — not “Bridgegate” — that could derail his 2016 ambitions.
The New Jersey Republican unveiled a plan on Tuesday to combat the state’s $807 million budget shortfall, as he’s required to do by state law. He says it wouldn’t raise taxes and would reduce pension payments for public workers.
But now the Christie administration must begin wrangling with a Democratic-controlled Legislature to pass the plan and overhaul the state’s finances. It’s his first major test since the fallout after senior officials in his administration were implicated in the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge as an apparent act of political payback.
“This is a make-or-break moment for Chris Christie. As the Bridgegate scandal swirls around him, the best thing he can do is get Jersey’s fiscal house in order,” Republican strategist Ford O’Connell said. “If he can’t, that’s where they’ll tar and feather him if he gets up onstage in a GOP primary.”
Christie continued to blame former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat he defeated in 2009, for his budget woes during the unveiling of his proposal on Tuesday.
“We will not make the payment that apply to the sins of the past,” Christie said at a press conference on Tuesday in Trenton. “We’re still digging out of problems two decades in the making.”
GOP Consultants: Christie’s 2016 Prospects Are On ‘Life Support’
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie swears “there’s no baggage here” when it comes to a possible 2016 presidential run. But almost three-and-a-half months since “Bridgegate” broke into public view, Republican analysts and strategists are seeing it differently.
Christie once led the pack among GOP presidential hopefuls. But he has taken a beating in the polls and his reputation has faltered among the party faithful since questions emerged about his office’s connections to lane closures on the George Washington Bridge and the dispersal of hurricane relief funds.
Christie’s own internal investigation, conducted by a friendly law firm cost state taxpayers $1 million and concluded the governor was not involved, instead blaming others long associated with the bridge scandal. But federal prosecutors, a state legislative panel and now the Manhattan district attorney continue to dog Christie. Two ex-Christie advisers are seeking immunity in exchange for cooperating with those inquires, facts not lost on donors and the Republican establishment.
Christie’s presidential prospects are on “life support,” said GOP strategist Ford O’Connell. “Time is not on Christie’s side. As long as there’s a perception of wrongdoing, it’s going to be very hard for him to win the nomination.”
“The perception of the abuse of government power is troubling for a lot of Republicans,” said O’Connell. “Christie was always going to have a problem with grassroots conservatives, but this gave them one more arrow in their quiver. Much of his selling point was ‘I can win a general election.’” Bridgegate disrupts that, he said.
Christie To CPAC 2014: GOP Has To Shake Contrarian Image
One year removed from being snubbed by CPAC, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie drew a standing ovation from conservative activists Thursday, pointing to his own re-election last year as an example that standing on principle and winning elections are not mutually exclusive.
Mr. Christie, who many Republicans criticized following the 2012 presidential election for his 11th-hour praise of President Obama’s response to Hurricane Sandy, sought to connect with grass-roots activists who have been wary of him by touting his pro-life credentials and saying it’s Democrats who are intolerant on abortion.
“We need to be pro-life when they leave the womb as well — for every step of their lives,” he said.
Mr. Christie is the favorite of many establishment Republicans, but he still resonated well with CPAC’s audience, which generally tilts toward party insurgents.
“He’s the most skilled GOP politician eyeing 2016,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell, complimenting Mr. Christie for getting people “ginned up” in what was likely an audience not entirely enamored with him.
Strange Bedfellows? Christie And Romney To Fundraise Together
Call them the Republican odd couple.
Embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to fundraise with failed 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on behalf of the Republican Governors Association Thursday in Boston.
The tables have certainly turned in the past year or so. After Romney lost in 2012, he was seen as an outcast of the Republican Party and stayed largely out of the public eye for months.
Christie, while still a target of resentment among some Republicans over his embrace – literally and figuratively – of President Obama in the days leading up to the election, was mostly still seen as a rising GOP star. The governor’s approval ratings soared following his response to Hurricane Sandy, and his reputation as a politician willing to put partisanship and political games aside gained traction in his blue state. He was easily catapulted to a second term the following year and the 2016 drumbeat continued on. Fast forward to today, and Christie is waist deep in allegations that his office abused its power. His popularity has taken a big hit, both in the Garden State and nationally.
Meanwhile, Romney is edging back into public life. He frequently weighed in on security concerns around the Sochi Olympic Games. And last month, he showed up to the Sundance Film Festival premiere of “Mitt,” a documentary that tracks his two failed runs for the Oval Office.
Republican strategist Ford O’Connell said the Christie-Romney pairing makes perfect sense. “Mitt Romney wants to have a say in the future direction of the party…and he’s the gateway to Massachusetts in terms of Republican fundraising.” Meanwhile, O’Connell said it indicates that members of the RGA and GOP establishment trust Christie, who has been bringing in record hauls for the RGA, despite the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal.
Christie’s Shameless, Desperate New Play: Wooing The GOP Base
It’s almost sad. Chris Christie, putative GOP savior, supposed scourge of the party’s right-wing saboteurs, in the minds of Republican establishment figures and donors anyway, is now courting the far-right base he was supposed to crush.
Desperately clutching his presidential hopes when he ought to be working to remain as New Jersey’s governor, Christie is taking a page from an old GOP playbook: attacking the “liberal media” while courting reactionaries – specifically those who gather annually at the Conservative Political Action Committee.
You may recall that last year Christie was snubbed by the folks who organize the annual winter gathering of the far-right faithful. Mitt Romney went so far as to implore CPAC to listen to voices like Christie’s.
“Frankly, the heat he is taking in the press as a result of Bridge-gate has endeared him to some conservatives.” Civic Forum PAC Ford O’Connell told the Christian Science Monitor. “He’s going to need conservatives on his side. This is about mending fences on both sides.”
Bridge-gate: Why Conservatives Are Now Embracing Chris Christie
After being snubbed last year, embattled New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has been invited to speak next month at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC – the biggest conservative confab of the year.
Governor Christie, under intense pressure over the ongoing “Bridge-gate” scandal, was also embraced over the weekend by top Republicans appearing on Sunday talk shows. On ABC News, Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin called Christie a “fantastic governor.” And both he and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) of Louisiana (appearing on CNN) said Christie should stay on as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
Even some of the most conservative lights, who typically ridicule Christie as a “RINO” – a Republican in Name Only – have managed at times to come down on Christie’s side since Bridge-gate broke last month. Fox News host Sean Hannity has defended Christie’s use of hurricane Sandy relief money.
This circling of the wagons is “a sign that conservatives and Republicans may not be ready to give up on Christie just yet,” says Ford O’Connell, chairman of the Civic Forum PAC. “Frankly, the heat he is taking in the press as a result of Bridge-gate has endeared him to some conservatives.”
In addition, Christie knows that if he is going to survive the public opinion battle over Bridge-gate, “he’s going to need conservatives on his side,” O’Connell adds. “This is about mending fences on both sides.”
Read more from Linda Feldmann at The Christian Science Monitor
Experts: Chris Christie Dead In Water
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie can kiss his White House hopes goodbye as questions mount about what he knew about the Bridgegate scandal — a development that has pushed the one-time Republican frontrunner aside while opening doors for other candidates in 2016, political experts said.
New Jersey’s chief executive has been under fire after revelations his top aides orchestrated traffic gridlock on the George Washington Bridge as possible political payback to Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor. Christie has denied knowing of any plot and told the public he didn’t know about the traffic jam until it was over.
But a former loyalist who ordered the closures, and resigned amid the controversy, released a letter Friday saying evidence exists suggesting Christie knew about the closures as they happened in September. The letter from David Wildstein’s lawyer did not provide proof. Wildstein was Christie’s No. 2 man at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey before resigning.
National GOP strategist Ford O’Connell said Christie is “sinking faster than the Titanic.”
“The cards are stacked against him,” O’Connell said, adding that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will benefit from Christie’s political swan dive.
Chris Christie and Bob McDonnell Were The GOP's Chosen Ones - What Happens Now
They were considered the elite, the leaders of the Republican Party. The adults in the room. The guys moneymen could back. Todd Akin might put his foot in his mouth about rape, Rand Paul might be put on defense about comments about the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act, but these guys – they were conservative and could be trusted at a podium in front of reporters.
But now, former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie find themselves at the bottom of the barrel, fending off indictments, in McDonnell's case, and Democrats accusations of abuse of power and bullying, in Christie's.
To be clear, McDonnell has fallen the farthest. From potential 2016 presidential candidate and certainly considered 2012 vice presidential candidate, to former governor accused by law enforcement of illegally accepting gifts from a prominent businessman in exchange for favorable treatment. It may well be that he escapes prosecution, but however the legal battle is resolved, his ethics remain trashed.
Christie will likely endure Bridgegate – the scandal that resulted in a two-hour press conference where he denied knowledge of one of his top political aides instructing his Port Authority appointees to create a traffic snarl by the George Washington Bridge as a form of political retribution against a Democratic mayor – but he's lost real ground among Democratic and independent voters as a result.
"In 2009, Christie and McDonnell were the poster boys for the GOP recovery," says Ford O'Connell, a Republican political strategist who worked on the 2008 McCain-Palin presidential campaign. "Now both men are basically considered politically radioactive. But Christie can still rid himself from the stench of scandal, but Bob McDonnell's political career is finished."
Democrats, too, have so far been relentless when it comes to pounding Christie about the scandal, which they assert is part of a pattern of bullying behavior. And while some analysts say Democrats are in danger of overplaying their hand, O'Connell says they know exactly what they are doing, as Christie recently took over as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, becoming the default fundraiser-in-chief for GOP chief executives across the country.
"What's tougher for Christie is here ...we have to play defense in 22 state capitals this year and he has to essentially raise $100 million," he says. "Basically it's not just that Democrats want him off the playing field for 2016, they want him off the playing field for 2014."
So far, Christie has maintained the trust he needs to be up to the task though, O'Connell says.
"Right now he is the most trusted Republicans with the GOP donor class and until that changes, he's got to stay in [at the RGA]," he says. "The donors aren't shying away. Some of the other people who are shying away are doing so because of their own 2016 aspirations."
Christie Flies To Florida, Followed By Questions
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will visit Florida this weekend to raise money for Gov. Rick Scott, his first major fundraising trip as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. The trip may answer some questions about how the scandal over lane closures at the George Washington Bridge will affect his path to the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
ROSE: Christie has another tough job to do. As chairman of the Republican Governor's Association, he's tasked with raising $100 million to help governors around the country who are running for election in 2014. And Christie is the star attraction this weekend at a series of fundraising events for big time Republican donors in Florida.
FORD O'CONNELL: A lot of donors are really sort of taking a wait-and-see approach.
ROSE: Ford O'Connell is a Republican strategist. Technically Christie's weekend events are for the RGA and Florida Governor Rick Scott. But O'Connell says they're also an opportunity for Christie to reassure supporters ahead of his possible presidential run in 2016.
O'CONNELL: He needs to reach out to donors and let them know that, you know, everything's OK on his end because donors are a pretty risk adverse crowd. And if you cannot get the donors on your side, you won't be able to raise the money to be a frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
