Christie under attack as rivals sense him rising in N.H

Just two months ago, the New York Times editorial page urged him to drop out, saying New Jersey was in trouble and “the governor is off pursuing a presidential run that’s turned out to be nothing more than a vanity project”.

What’s happens is New Jersey has been over-run by black bears. The 30-second spot – dubbed “We Need to Keep Our Eye on the Ball” – features a clip of Christie, the New Jersey governor, speaking at Saint Anselm College. “Close your eyes and picture Hillary Rodham Clinton on the front steps of the Capitol in January of 2017, taking the oath of office as President of the United States”. “We can not afford to lose again as a party”, he said; a loss “would signal a deeper political crisis”.

For more than a month, Christie continued a steady climb into the top candidate-not-named-Donald-Trump tier of GOP candidates in the state.

A super PAC backing Kasich has also started mailing New Hampshire Republicans fliers that raise doubts about Christie’s fiscal management. So, according to this survey, at least, Christie now has a net 24-point positive margin. So, I greatly admire the Tim Scotts of the world and, frankly, Ronald Reagan and Marco Rubio who can communicate our message in an aspirational, hopeful way.

Earlier in the week, the super PAC supporting Marco Rubio released two TV ads attacking Christie’s conservative bona fides.

“While Senator Rubio has no doubt given some nice speeches on these issues, Governor Christie has vetoed Planned Parenthood funding, ended Common Core in New Jersey, and protected the rights of gun owners”.

“We are 7 years into the Obama administration and his own secretary of defense publicly contradicted the president on the vital question of our preparedness to fight against radical Islamic terrorism”. That spending dwarfs all other candidates in the race, including Democrat Hillary Clinton, whose campaign has spent about $12 million.

Christie is positioned for a bounce in popularity in Iowa as signs grow that Republicans here are giving him a fresh look.

“… The people of New Jersey were desperate for real leadership and a new direction”. The Florida candidate has charged that Christie has been too closely aligned with President Obama on gun control, health care and Common Core education standards, echoing twin attack ads aired here by his allied super PAC. Obama announced on Tuesday a series of executive actions that would include expanding mandatory background checks for some private sales. I don’t think so. “The FBI director himself said that there’s a chill winds blowing through law enforcement in this country, and the president has contributed to that chill winds mightily”. His pathway beyond New Hampshire is littered with land mines, from the crucial southern states where he has limited operations to the overall lack of enthusiasm.

“We’ve contrasted Gov. Kasich’s successful record with that of Christie and other candidates in the past and will continue to share the governor’s record with New Hampshire voters moving forward”, said Connie Wehrkamp, a spokeswoman for the group. “But it wouldn’t be my focus”. Christie asserts that Hillary Clinton would “cut [Rubio’s] throat out”.