A.B. Stoddard: Christie can’t lose

Nine months ago a savvy political junkie told me Chris Christie would soon announce a presidential campaign, simply because he had to. 

Making our way through the nation’s capital, my cab driver made his case: running was the only way for the New Jersey governor to clean up his image and come out ahead. He didn’t have to win, or even come close, he just had to do well.

{mosads}As the cabbie predicted, Christie joined the crowded field late, when most of the campaign money and talent was already spoken for. The result, two months before voting, is an indisputable improvement in his image. 

Despite his baggage with the GOP base for embracing President Obama after Hurricane Sandy, his ethical cloud under Bridgegate and the nine downgrades that ratings agencies have handed down to New Jersey, Christie has grown as a candidate. He’s stood out in debates and come from the back of the pack to become a contender in New Hampshire in a year when that state’s primary is likely to matter more than the Iowa caucuses.

By any standard, Christie is doing well. His actual poll standing in New Hampshire is still quite low, but a surge is anticipated in light of his growing crowds and support from key Republicans in the state, along with the coveted endorsement of the conservative Union Leader newspaper. Christie has saturated the state not only with events — nearly 50 town halls in 50 days — but also with hours spent behind the scenes, which led to endorsements from more than 100 state leaders who say no other candidate has put in even close to as much time wooing key Republicans there as the two-term governor has.

In addition, Christie has used his record as a U.S. attorney after the 9/11 attacks to sell himself as best prepared to wage the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. This was highlighted in the Union Leader endorsement, which stated Christie “has prosecuted terrorists and dealt admirably with major disasters,” a sharp contrast to the editors’ not-so-subtle hit on Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Marco Rubio (Fla.). “We don’t need another fast-talking, well-meaning freshman U.S. Senator trying to run the government. We are still seeing the disastrous effects of the last choice,” they wrote.

Christie knocks the senators too, telling voters that “new” is only exciting until serious challenges arise and require experience. The volatility of the race, as Ben Carson slips and Rubio and Cruz rise, makes it anyone’s game — if they can get by Donald Trump, that is. 

Trump still maintains the lead in New Hampshire and every other state, and Christie has not been shy about criticizing him. While he has toned down his trademark blunt talk, what he still offers up seems far more civil and reasonable next to Trump’s controversial bombast. When asked about Trump’s trumped-up story about “thousands and thousands of Muslims celebrating” in Jersey City after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Christie said point-blank this week that the real estate mogul’s statements are factually wrong: “I know it, and he knows it.”

Trump will surely target Christie soon, likely attacking him on his record. The Union Leader endorsement already prompted complaints that the admiring editors hadn’t bothered to study his record at home, according to an editorial in the Star-Ledger, which stated that lawmakers in New Jersey can no longer get their phone calls returned as Christie focuses on his campaign instead of his job. “This editorial confirms my worse [sic] fears about this presidential race,” wrote Tom Moran. “It’s all about performance, not substance.”

That may or may not be true, yet at this point my cabbie was right: The nomination, a Cabinet position or another great job await Christie if he keeps playing it smart. There doesn’t seem to be any downside. 

Stoddard is an associate editor of The Hill.