Coming out of Iowa, things weren’t looking too good for New Jersey governor Chris Christie, so he pledged to be like “gum on the shoes” of New Hampshirites, going from door to door, event to event. As of today he has spent 70 days in New Hampshire, his wife Mary Pat, has spent 72. His one event today before tonight’s Republican Debate at St. Anselm’s was billed as a “Debate send-off”, a hastily organized gathering of about 200 supporters and local veterans assembled in an unheated abandoned garage in Bedford. Also in attendance, newly minted Maryland governor Lawrence Hogan and our very own Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, both throwing their weight behind Christie’s considerable girth.
Baker’s endorsement comes naturally. The two have known each other a long time, and Christie was on board early when Baker ran against Governor Deval Patrick in 2010. Christie, a direct spoken conservative, is known for getting things done, from the Hurricane Sandy debacle, to balancing state budgets to reforming treatment for drug offenders. Baker of course has made the opioid crisis a lynchpin of his governance and says he admires Christie for being on top of the issue first.
But Christie’s fiery rhetoric is hardly in style with Baker’s approach to ideological differences. Christie is tougher on Barack Obama than any other candidate, Donald Trump included, going so far as to describe him as a “feckless weakling”.
In the end, Baker’s support won’t matter much. But when Christie’s candidacy fails, the handful of candidates remaining will most certainly seek the backing of the most popular governor in the country.
