WASHINGTON–Former New Jersey governor and presidential candidate Chris Christie (who indicated he may run again) offered his views here to credit unions on the state of politics in the U.S., the upcoming elections, the need in the country for “inspiration,” and why it should never forget the words of John Adams.
Speaking one day after the 21st anniversary of Sept. 11, Christie called for all politicians to “reconfigure the rhetoric around law enforcement,” including those who are criticizing law enforcement and the intelligence communities for “petty political gain.”
“Whether from Mar-a-Lago or Capitol Hill or the state capitols, spewing this stuff is wrong,” said Christie. “Are there some in law enforcement who get it wrong? Of course. Are there people in credit unions who get it wrong? Of course. They deserve our respect and our support. If we do that I think our country has a chance to avoid what happened 21 years ago.”
NAFCU President Dan Berger, left, with Chris Christie during Congressional Caucus.
Turning to the upcoming elections in November, Christie said it was just conventional wisdom six months ago that it was going to be an electoral “tsunami” for Republicans.
“All we had to do as Republicans was sit back and not screw it up,” said Christie. “Well, welcome to my party. We have found a way in the course of the last few months to not make this election about Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Polls say Biden and Congress are polling very poorly. You would think that our party would talk about nothing else but those three people, plus inflation, crime, and Democratic party attempts to remove parental influence from our education system. Those poll 70% or higher among all voters.
“But what are we talking about? Raids at Mar a Lago, defunding the FBI and Donald Trump. If you want to look for something that polls worse than those among the general electorate, poll Donald Trump.”
‘Stay Tuned’
Christie said it would seem hard for Republicans to not take control of the House in November, but “stay tuned, you never know. But I think that a Republican House is a fairly safe bet.”
“Please don’t ever forget the most important aspect in any election—it’s the candidate. People forget that,” he said.
And that can be seen in various elections in the U.S. this year, according to Christie. He said Republicans should be winning Senate seats in a number of states, “except…”:
Arizona: ‘Except,’ Public Has a ‘Good Memory’
“In Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly’s polling was in the low 40s for most of 2021 and early 2022. Arizona is generally seen as a red state. But slowly over the Trump years that has changed,” said Christie. “Republicans nominated Blake Masters, who is endorsed by Trump and is an election denier. He’s trying to move away from it, but the public has a pretty good memory. It’s a seat we should win but we are unlikely to win it because of the candidate we didn’t nominate--Doug Ducey. Doug Ducey was a popular governor, but Donald Trump criticized him and he was censured for certifying the election. He had a double-digit lead over Kelly in every poll.”
Georgia: ‘Except,’ May Not Tap ‘Momentum’
“Incredibly,” said Christie, Georgia has become the epicenter of American politics.
“(Republicans) lost both Senate seats. (Republican candidate) Herschel Walker is having a little trouble getting his footing. (Governor) Brian Kemp was viciously attacked by Donald Trump. Trump campaigned for (David) Perdue and Brian Kemp won that primary by 50 points. Seventy-percent of the vote in the primary went against a former U.S. senator (Perdue) and (Kemp) has incredible momentum. Kemp needs to maintain his lead for Herschel Walker to be dragged over the goal line. It is a very, very close election. That’s a seat Republicans should have.”
New Hampshire: Except, Election Denier Not Popular
Christie said current New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hansen (D) is unpopular and it should be a “layup” for the Republican candidate to defeat her. Except the Republican candidate is expected to be retired Army Brigadier General Don Bolduc, who is an election denier and who trails Hansen in the polls by double digits.
Pennsylvania: ‘Except,’ Candidate Not a Resident
In the race to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey, Christie said a Republican should be expected to win the seat.
“If you’re looking for a race where the public would probably like an option for ‘none of the above,’ it would be the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania,” said Christie. “Democrats nominated John Fetterman, who is an avowed socialist. Worse yet, he suffered a very serious health problem, a stroke. He has difficulty communicating. He is refusing to debate his Republican opponent because he has difficulty speaking. It should be a disqualifier. But no. He is running against Dr. (Mehmet) Oz. One of the problems for Dr. Oz is he lives in New Jersey. He was on my finance committee twice when I ran for governor. He’s running for the Senate in Pennsylvania. While we’re close, it’s not the same state. This did not prevent Pennsylvania Republicans from nominating him…Fetterman is now trolling him. Planes flying along the Jersey Shore, where many Pennsylvanians vacation, had signs reading, ‘Dr. Oz, is lost, he’s in Pennsylvania. Please bring him home to New Jersey.’ I can’t wait to be on ABC on election night as the results for this come in.”
The Result
As a result of all that, Christie said it’s unlikely Republicans will win control of the Senate.
“This is incredibly important. If the Democrats control the Senate, then they control the machinery of nominations, particularly on the Supreme Court. If there was a Republican Senate with a Democratic White House, there would be some grounds for compromise.
“(Sen.) Mitch McConnel (R-KY) has plenty of money. The environment is set for a Republican to win in Arizona, Georgia and New Hampshire, but if you don’t have a candidate the public finds to be acceptable—forget inspirational—you can’t win,” said Christie.
The Presidential Election
Even though the next presidential election is more than two years away, there remains hyper-attention on the prospective races. But it’s too early to forecast, said Christie.
“I don’t want to get into the horse race stuff, because anyone who tries to horse race this at this time will get it wrong. At this time in 2014, the overwhelming favorite was Jeb Bush,” he said. “The internal fight is more interesting. Let’s assume that at 82 years old Joe Biden chooses not to run. I went to University of Delaware. I’ve known Joe Biden for 40 years. I was president of the student body and I got to know Sen. Biden really well. I have real personal affection for Joe Biden. I like him. He’s a good, decent person, so I make this comment with that as the background. I hope he doesn’t run. I know you can’t make statements by category, but you’re too old at 82 to be president. Bill Clinton today is still younger than Joe Biden. I don’t think it will end well for the president of the country.
“There will be an inordinate amount of focus on the vice president. That is not good for the president or the country. We have to think of the VP as a potential replacement, and not the immediate replacement,” said Christie. “If we assume Joe Biden will not run, you are about to see the craziest president election you have seen in a long time. Both parties are significantly divided. Biden was not a unifying figure based on philosophy. Joe Biden got the nomination in my opinion, and won the presidency, in my opinion, because the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Who is the least offensive person in this field? Joe Biden.”
‘Shake Your Head’
Should Donald Trump run for the presidency in 2024, Christie forecast that there will be six to eight Republicans in the field.
“It will be people saying he can’t win vs. those who say he got screwed the last time and we need to put him back,” said Christie. “That will be the fight and I guarantee you it will be a fight you will shake your head at watching.”
On the Democrat side, Christie said there is a “significant schism” between the left and center of the party.
But overall, there is a bigger problem, according to Christie, who holds both parties responsible.
“I can’t take Republicans seriously when they are talking about denying the (2020) election,” he said. “And I can’t take Democrats seriously when they are giving money to election-deniers (in the primaries) because they believe it will make it easier for them to win. How seriously do you take this? Don’t talk about the threat to democracy when your party is doing that. In that case you are part of the threat.”
The Lack of Inspiration
Christie lamented that he doesn’t see any candidates who can “inspire.”
John Adams
“I got into politics to inspire people. My favorite founding father is John Adams--some say because he’s overweight and slightly prickly. Those are fabulous attributes,” he said to laughter, before turning more serious.
“(Adams) was the heartbeat of the revolution. He said there can be no freedom without liberty. In the beginning no one wanted to listen to him. Day after day after day he thundered against the tide. He fought and fought and fought and articulated the argument and finally convinced the Continental Congress to unanimously declare independence,” he continued. “Remember it was John Adams who represented the British soldiers in the Boston massacre because he believed everyone deserved a fair trial. He not only represented them, with a Boston jury of revolutionaries he got them acquitted!”
Christie shared this famous quote from Adams—who in 1826 felt the country had become too divided.
Adams wrote in his diary, “Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.”
Where Change Starts
Christie then asked his audience to consider the United States in 2022.
“When you think about next few years in our country’s history, I want you to think about Adams,” said Christie. “When he looks down on us from heaven, is he repenting? I tell you I do not want to be part of a generation that makes Adams repent in Heaven, and I don’t think you do, either. Don’t blame what is happening in politics today on anybody other than the people in this room. Let’s be inspired by the example…set for us and the opportunity we continue to enjoy today in the freest country the world has ever known. Don’t bemoan today unless you are prepared to change tomorrow.”
Speaking of Tomorrow
And speaking of tomorrow, Christie was asked about the likelihood he will run for president in 2024.
“I am thinking about it,” he said. “I’m not going to do it for the experience. I’ve already had the experience (in 2016). It was a fascinating race to be in. I would say it was one of the most qualified teams of Republican candidates. But it was a very frustrating race. None of us could get any attention. Donald Trump sucked all the air out of the room.
“I will run in 2024 if I see a path to winning and if I believe I can take our party in a different direction. We will not win if we continue in the direction we are going in,” Christie said. “I’ve got to believe I can make a difference if I do win. You have to do it because you believe you can win and if you do win you can have a positive effect on the country. If I can say yes to both of those, I will run.”