Chris Christie: All Coat, No Tail

Slate ^ | 11/7/13 | David Weigel

[jimbo123]

The day after his triumph, Chris Christie returned to the place where it had been sweetest: Union City. Located just across the Hudson River from New York City, Union City is nearly entirely Hispanic, and reliably Democratic. This summer the city's Democratic mayor, Brian Stack, endorsed Christie, and by the end of the race, the burg became a beacon for reporters writing about Christie's Hispanic outreach. Christie closed his re-election race with New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez in ... Union City.

So on Tuesday, flanked by a Greek chorus of cheering schoolkids, Christie held a lengthy press conference about how he won the state and won this city by 6,000 votes. "If you're doing something in Union City and you want it to be successful, go see Mayor Stack," he said.

Underneath the surface, though, there was a realistic follow-up question. Why hadn't Christie's popularity been transferred to other candidates? Democrats down the ballot held right onto their votes in Union City. Christie campaigned in person for a few Republican Senate candidates. None of them won.

[Night Hides Not]

Coulter is the new Meghan McCain.

That picture on the book cover is enhanced, no doubt.

[Redmen4ever]

Republicans appear to have picked up only 2 seats in the state legislature (both in the state Assembly).

In the state Senate, where Republicans were hopeful and Christie actually did some campaigning for candidates, Republicans came close in three districts (14, 28 and 38; losing with 48 percent of the vote) and not so close in two others (1 and 2; losing with 45 percent).

Christie vetoed a bill to raise the minimum wage. A constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage passed with 61 percent of the vote. Christie opposed same-sex marriage, yet the people of the state overwhelming support the court ruling making same-sex marriage into a right.

I think the proper conclusion is that Christie was elected and re-elected for idiosyncratic reasons, and not because he is able to convince blue voters to turn red. In terms of whether he would make a good Presidential candidate in 2016 is how he would do in purple states like Florida and Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, Iowa and Colorado; and, hardly whether he puts New Jersey into play.