Governor, Chris Christie has grown to be enormously popular among conservatives and Republicans.
Even in the overwhelmingly blue of New Jersey, he continues to enjoy high approval ratings.
According to a Farleigh Dickinson Poll last week, the Governor had the approval of about 54 percent of New Jerseyans.
Many top conservatives and Republicans have been talking about Governor Chris Christie earlier this week following a nationally televised and closely watched speech he delivered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
He has garnered the admiration of many of the top figures in the news today.
Bill O’Reilly of FOX News said on his show, “I like the governor. I think he’s feisty and entertaining. I think he’s honest. But I think he should fulfill his obligation to the people of New Jersey who elected him to clean up the state.”
Dr. Joseph Patten, Chair of the Political Science Department, said, “Politics is striking while the iron is hot.”
If Christie wants to take advantage of his popularity, he needs to get in now. When asked if Christie would have the same chance he does now, Dr. Patten explained that one year is an eternity in politics, never mind five years.
He said he could see there being some trouble with Christie, since he has stated repeatedly that he is not ready to be President, he doesn’t want to be President, that he’d rather “commit suicide” than be President.
When it comes to the next gubernatorial election in 2013, he might lose and that would dampen any chances of higher office.
Patten explained that Governor Perry of Texas has not been very convincing in debates and has flopped, to say the least.
Patten also said that the Conservative wing of the Republican Party is hesitant to throw their support behind Governor Romney because of his fairly moderate leanings.
So essentially the field is still wide open and there is a strong demand for another candidate and most of the demand is for Chris Christie.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars of potential donor funds just waiting to have a target candidate. Christie must make a decision soon.
The prevailing view among Washington strategists who steered the Presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and John McCain is that it’s not too late for Christie to run, but 2016 will be too late.
Strategists also suspected that if Christie did decide to run, he would undoubtedly become the Republican frontrunner within the first month of the campaign trail. The most important thing to remember is that voters are looking for strength, candor, and conviction, characteristics experts believe Christie wholeheartedly possess.
Christie’s growing fundraising network and star power would give him an edge, they said, opening several routes to clinch the nomination.
In the next three years of his first term in office, Christie promised to concentrate on getting New Jersey on the course to fiscal responsibility, something that is usually lacking in a blue state.
PHOTO COURTESY of latimes.com
