Christie Is Hitting The Midterm Campaign Trail Hard. It Could Be His Key To Political Recovery.
Chris Christie is the Republican governor of New Jersey. He's also the chairman of the Republican Governors Association -- which may be a more important title this year when it comes to his presidential prospects.
Christie's chairmanship, as expected, has enabled him to barnstorm the country ahead of the midterm elections. He's attended RGA events in 34 states since taking over as chairman last November, including stops in crucial early nominating states like New Hampshire and Iowa. And he's raised a whopping $75 million for the RGA through the middle of September.
On Wednesday, Christie kicked off a three-day, four-state swing that will take him from Florida to New England. At a time when the governor is trying to repair his troubled image -- and with the dawn of the 2016 presidential race fast approaching -- his path to political recovery may run through his flurry of campaign stops.
"He's going to build up a lot of chits and a lot of good will in a lot of key states," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist who worked on John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
But at a time when Christie is asking the party faithful for a second look, helping Republicans keep their jobs or win more powerful ones in November is his best hope for winning or reclaiming good will.
"He was on life support. Now he's walking on two legs," said O'Connell.
Should Christie Step Down As Head of GOP Governors?
The most immediate effect of the new allegation on Gov. Christie could be his leadership of the Republican Governors Association, according to a Monmouth University pollster.
“The big question in this is whether it makes other Republicans question his effectiveness as chair of the RGA, Patrick Murray told The Star-Ledger Friday.
Christie has had mixed support for his RGA chairmanship as the burgeoning bridge-gate scandal unfolded.
But a new allegation from a former Port Authority official who claims the governor knew about the George Washington Bridge lanes' closure while it was occurring, and has the evidence to prove it, could be lethal, Murray said.
As RGA chairman, Christie plans to tour the country raising money and campaigning for several of the 22 Republican governors up for re-election.
At the same time, the barnstorming could provide him a platform to promote himself while gathering potential allies and donors for a White House bid.
"Everyone is worried," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Reuters in mid-January.
"But the donors are going to take a wait-and-see approach. They're not cutting off the spigot yet."
Read more from Cathy Burke at Newsmax
