If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, is an old American saying, and one that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie seems to have taken to heart, after having dropped out from of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Christie’s poor results made him suspend his campaign
Despite having seemed to be a favorite of the GOP, Chris Christie’s attacks against Florida Senator Marco Rubio before the New Hampshire primary seriously rattled the Republican campaign, ultimately leading to poor results for the New Jersey Governor, which forced him to leave the race. But just because he has renounced his claim to the Republican nomination does not mean that Mr. Christie has completely exited the stage.
In a complete turnabout, he announced on Friday, in Texas, that he will be supporting the GOP front-runner Donald Trump for the presidential nomination.
Chris Christie’s endorsement of Donald Trump may come as even more of a surprise when recalling the many attacks launched between the two candidates throughout the campaign. One fundamental issue on which the two argued was Donald Trump’s policy of banning Muslims from entering the United States.
Remember the discussion about 9/11?
The New Jersey Governor has argued that such a policy would not be productive. Many times, Mr. Trump has said that he saw Muslims in New Jersey cheering after the incidents of 9/11, with Chris Christie contradicting him and saying such a thing has never happened. Mr. Christie has also argued against Donald Trump’s claims about President Barrack Obama being a Muslim and not having been born in the United States.
Despite the two candidates having had their differences, Chris Christie’s endorsement should not come as a complete surprise. As the Republican list of candidates is becoming thinner and thinner the viable candidates have reduced to three people: Donald Trump, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
The race, at this stage, is also looking like it may become an actual 2-man contest, with Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz fighting for second place. The dispute between Rubio and Cruz is tipped slightly in favor of the former, as he is the establishment-favorite. Add to this Ted Cruz’s dirty campaign tactics and he may actually be at a slight disadvantage.
Looking forward to the future
By choosing to support Donald Trump’s bid, Chris Christie is actually taking care of two objectives. Supporting the front-runner allows him to entertain the prospect of a position in Donald Trump’s government, should he win the nomination and election. At the same time, he is also undercutting Senator Marco Rubio again, a candidate which he blames for his unsuccessful campaign, according to The Washington Post.
It may be that the New Jersey Governor’s endorsement of Donald Trump could serve as doorway for the New York businessman into the more establishment-oriented conservative voting pool. On the other hand, with people still trying to wrap their heads around what has probably been one of the biggest surprises of the campaign so far, it is still early to actually assess the effects of the endorsement.
One thing is for sure, though, Donald Trump stands only to profit from it, as his campaign has received a boost following the most recent Republican debate.
