New Jersey 2013

[Napoleon]

Christie is very popular with republicans and independents.. but corzine was able to carry 45% of the vote in a very bad year for the democrats and with huge levels of unpopularity.. so I think the election could be very close in 2013. and with a strong candidate like Booker, probably christie would prefer not to be a candidate for reelection.

Cory Booker is a friend and ally of Chris Christie, and they have appeared in numerous interviews together. Booker isn't running unless Christie decides to step aside for him.

It's interesting the two are close considering their political differences.

It's reformers vs. the corrupt machines. Though in context, there isn't much difference between the reformers and the corrupt machines.

[Napoleon]

Adler would make a good candidate but would still likely come up short. Christie's played it smart. His experience working within the governmental bureaucracy has given him a political skill set that is necessary to govern like he does without being the sort of brutish ideologue that brings nothing to show for it (see Palin's term in Alaska as an example).

[Napoleon]

Christie and Booker are also both united in their support of school choice, an issue supported by an interesting subset of urban New Jersey Democrats, mostly in the north.

Another reason why both men are amazing.

It's one of my favorite things about Cory Booker, and why I expressed disappointment at his unfortunate lack of options to move up the political ladder with expediency in another thread here.

[Napoleon]

Excuse me if this is stupid, but is Booker a moderate?

You could say he is, in thew same sense that Christie is a moderate. He is first and foremost a reformer.