New Hampshire is where Chris Christie famously slammed Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, and it’s here that Republican operatives say he could harm Donald Trump or reshape the race — even if he doesn’t win.
“There are times in any presidential campaign when people who are not destined to win and are on their way to winning can still shape an issue, shape a perception about another candidate, highlight an issue that may not have been addressed before. stressed,” the Republican said. adviser Jim Merrill, who oversaw Rubio’s presidential campaign in the state.
“Given who he is and his nature, I have no doubt that he will make an impact in this primary – whether it is a winning one, I think remains to be seen,” he told DailyMail.com. Merrill praises Christie’s political talent and his “willingness to mix it up.”
Joining a field of nine Republican candidates approaching a dozen, Christie has been Trump’s most direct critic after breaking with him on Jan. 6, notably labeling him a “loser” — though he Trump uniquely helped by vouching for him with the party’s mainstream base in 2016.
“I do think he will be a strong Trump critic in a Republican primary and especially in New Hampshire. I think he wants to spoil Trump in New Hampshire,” said communications consultant Lauren Zelt, who spent years working in state politics here.
Spoiler? Republican political advisers say Chris Christie’s tough debating skills give him the ability to reshape the race and go after Trump, even if he’s not in the best position to ultimately prevail
“New Hampshire is kind of home to Chris Christie,” she told DailyMail.com.
It was here that Christie had his most memorable campaign moment, three days before the New Hampshire primary. In a high-stakes debate on a stage full of candidates, Christie mocked the then 45-year-old senator, who emerged as a voice on foreign policy issues, even after he famously guzzled bottled water. At the time, Rubio was among a group of candidates struggling to emerge as the number two contender against Trump.
Christie found ways to build his own record as governor at the same time Ridiculing Rubio’s service in the Senate. He scoffed at a scripted response as “the memorized 25 second speech, that’s exactly what his advisers gave him.”
Christie famously famous Florida Senator Marco Rubio on a debate stage days before the 2016 New Hampshire primary
Failing: New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said he won’t run for president in 2024, and warned of the risks of a crowded field in handing the nomination to former President Donald Trump
Christie has already come out on top against former President Donald Trump, and his entry into the race could reshape debates, if Trump chooses to enter it
Christie supported Trump, for a time guiding his transition and advising him at the White House, as he did in 2017 at an event on opioid use and substance abuse. He later broke with Trump and denounced him on January 6 in what he called “a riot sparked by Donald Trump in an attempt to intimidate Mike Pence and Congress.”
When Rubio, an eloquent legislator, tried to hit back, but then broke out similar language, Christie hammered him again. “There it is—the 25-second speech,” he jabbed.
Christie’s own campaign soon imploded when he took just 6 percent in a state he supported his campaign on.
As he prepares to launch his 24 run, his numbers are lower than they were back then. But state experts say Christie could make an impact even without triumphing simply by expressing explicit criticism of Trump at a time when other rivals are evading the attacks, either out of self-preservation or other motives.
“Someone has to hire him,” says Fergus Cullen, former state party chairman and member of Dover City Council.
‘I went to look [Gov. Ron] DeSantis last week and he didn’t even mention Trump,” Cullen told DailyMail.com, while former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley cited the former president as only “casually” appointing her.
“These other candidates are acting like he doesn’t exist,” complained Cullen, who represents an area supported by Joe Biden.
He did not rule out a possible kamikaze attempt, although he chose another language. “I might say prophet, one who prepares the way for another,” he said. ‘He has nothing to lose. He only has an advantage” compared to other candidates who may want to protect a future run.
(Matt Katz, author of “American Governor: Chris Christie’s Bridge to Redemption,” has speculated that Christie could be seeking a “consolation prize” as attorney general — a role he reportedly sought in a Trump administration before he was forced out while executing the Trump transition in an early sign of coming chaos).
Christie’s low performance in polls means he’ll have to struggle to meet the Republican National Committee’s debate criteria, where debaters must muster 40,000 unique contributors, along with 1 percent in multiple polls to earn a spot on the main stage). Experts say the second data point could be a hurdle for him.
Christie, who will appear Monday at the Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College, brings a unique package to the table.
A former prosecutor, he spotlighted the opioid epidemic in 2015 and 2016. The former mid-Atlantic governor overlaps with more traditional New Hampshire candidates who focus more on economics than social issues, though with a belligerent quality heralding Trump’s rise to power.
He has a loyal base among the donor class and was pitched by Rupert Murdoch in 2015 as the field was emerging. After his famous debate, Murdoch tweeted, “Chris Christie, suicide bomber. Damages victim while blowing himself up!’
He turned completely against Trump after January 6 and was among his most outspoken critics in the field. He is no doubt aware of the risks New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu warned of when he announced Monday that he will stay out of the overcrowded Republican presidential primary.
Sununu said he cannot win and warned other contenders not to engage him.
“The stakes are too high for a crowded field to hand the nomination to a candidate who earns only 35 percent of the vote, and I will make sure that doesn’t happen,” he wrote in an op-ed in a Washington Post op-ed. . ed.
Sununu said his party was heading for electoral irrelevance, citing defeats in 2020 and disappointments in off-year elections. “We should not be complacent and candidates should not enter this race to promote a vain campaign, sell books or audition to serve as Donald Trump’s vice president,” he warned.