For months, there has been speculation concerning Gov. Chris Christie’s official run for the White House. Given his consistent dismal position in the polls, Christie may have challenge doing so. According to RCP’s polling average, he sits in the eighth position with 5%.
And while that position should earn him a spot on the debate stage with nine other hopefuls ahead of candidates Kasich, Santorum, Fiorina, Jindal and Graham, his unusually high disapproval numbers threaten to sink him before he even launches his bid.
But public opinion would disagree. It has a comedic effect when concerning a situation such as Christie’s. History has offered greater comebacks than what Christie is up against. He must construct a comeback that overcomes his political fallout from the so- called Bridgegate scandal. This event took Christie’s previous popularity under water.
This could explain why Christie spends much of his time in New Hampshire. Having already written off Iowa, where his disapproval numbers are roughly 25%, the straight-shooting governor is banking on the strategy that propelled Sen. John McCain to the nomination in 2008.
In that election cycle, Sen. McCain was already being discounted as an also-ran in succession to the first- in the- nation primaries. Almost all analysts anticipated him to bottom out in Iowa.
However, his campaign critically focused on New Hampshire which successfully lifted him from a fragmented field of candidates. A strategy like this, coupled with Christie’s ability to win favor in the eyes of Republican voters, could prove analysts wrong yet again. With gusto in New Hampshire and his no-nonsense style, Christie may find his way like Sen. McCain in 2008.
