2013 NJ-Gov: Christie (R) vs. Booker (D)

[Lord Admirale]

Newark Mayor Cory Booker decides to run for Governor instead of Senator. How does he do against Chris Christie?

[NewYorkExpress]

Christie uses residual popularity from Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy to win a narrow victory over the equally popular Booker.

Chris Christie/Kim Gaugdano (R) 50%
Cory Booker/Stephen Sweeney (D) 47%
Kenneth Kaplan/Brenda Bell (L) 1%
Steve Welzer/Patrica Alessendirni (G) 1%
Other 1%

[UWS]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

[NewYorkExpress]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The thing is Christie shut down the George Washington Bridge because he was on his way an easy win, and Democrats were endorsing him.

Democrats would generally endorse Booker, so Bridgegate wouldn't happen here, leading to a narrow Christie win, largely because Christie has strong residual popularity from Hurricane Sandy.

[uti2]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The thing is Christie shut down the George Washington Bridge because he was on his way an easy win, and Democrats were endorsing him.

Democrats would generally endorse Booker, so Bridgegate wouldn't happen here, leading to a narrow Christie win, largely because Christie has strong residual popularity from Hurricane Sandy.

And without Bridgegate, Christie is probably Trump's VP, Manafort would probably have been unable to cajole Trump into supporting Pence if Christie had sky-high popularity.

[Lord Admirale]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The thing is Christie shut down the George Washington Bridge because he was on his way an easy win, and Democrats were endorsing him.

Democrats would generally endorse Booker, so Bridgegate wouldn't happen here, leading to a narrow Christie win, largely because Christie has strong residual popularity from Hurricane Sandy.

That would seriously butterfly the Republican Party primaries as Christie would still have front-runner status by mid 2015.

[NewYorkExpress]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The thing is Christie shut down the George Washington Bridge because he was on his way an easy win, and Democrats were endorsing him.

Democrats would generally endorse Booker, so Bridgegate wouldn't happen here, leading to a narrow Christie win, largely because Christie has strong residual popularity from Hurricane Sandy.

That would seriously butterfly the Republican Party primaries as Christie would still have front-runner status by mid 2015.

Honestly, looking back, if Trump runs he probably ends up as the nominee no matter what...unless another candidate in his viewpoint world ran. This person wouldn't necessarily have to be an outsider, just someone who could also win the backing of the far right...so someone like Sarah Palin, Rick Scott,...or if you consider some of the things Trump said David Duke, are all plausible. That individual would then split the hard right vote with Trump (and Cruz) allowing a more moderate nominee like Jeb Bush, Scott Walker or Christie to win the nomination.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Christie still wins in a near-landslide for a Republican. Maybe by 10 or so points. There is a reason Booker ran for the Senate instead, even though he probably would have been the best Democratic candidate for Governor. This was an unwinnable race for Democrats. Hell, people were talking about how Christie could have been the front runner for the Republican nomination in 2016. Bridgeghazi didn't happen yet, he handled Superstorm Sandy pretty well and gained bipartisan credentials. New Jersey voters were still blissfully ignorant to how terrible our former Governor was.
I always find it cruelly ironic how quickly New Jersey residents turned on him after Bridgegate was revealed though. Following that, Christie stopped giving a damn about anything and let his approval ratings tank bigly! He possibly had one of the most extravagant implosions for any politician in American history. It was a treat to watch but at the expense of our state. Alright,I'll stop. I'm getting a bit off-topic.

[uti2]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The thing is Christie shut down the George Washington Bridge because he was on his way an easy win, and Democrats were endorsing him.

Democrats would generally endorse Booker, so Bridgegate wouldn't happen here, leading to a narrow Christie win, largely because Christie has strong residual popularity from Hurricane Sandy.

That would seriously butterfly the Republican Party primaries as Christie would still have front-runner status by mid 2015.

Honestly, looking back, if Trump runs he probably ends up as the nominee no matter what...unless another candidate in his viewpoint world ran. This person wouldn't necessarily have to be an outsider, just someone who could also win the backing of the far right...so someone like Sarah Palin, Rick Scott,...or if you consider some of the things Trump said David Duke, are all plausible. That individual would then split the hard right vote with Trump (and Cruz) allowing a more moderate nominee like Jeb Bush, Scott Walker or Christie to win the nomination.

A stronger Christie would've at the very least been able to take all of Kasich's voters and also take a chunk of Rubio's. He would've finished much stronger in the primary.

[NewYorkExpress]

The problems related to Bridgegate started in September 9 2013, before the election, so maybe Booker would win narrowly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal

The thing is Christie shut down the George Washington Bridge because he was on his way an easy win, and Democrats were endorsing him.

Democrats would generally endorse Booker, so Bridgegate wouldn't happen here, leading to a narrow Christie win, largely because Christie has strong residual popularity from Hurricane Sandy.

That would seriously butterfly the Republican Party primaries as Christie would still have front-runner status by mid 2015.

Honestly, looking back, if Trump runs he probably ends up as the nominee no matter what...unless another candidate in his viewpoint world ran. This person wouldn't necessarily have to be an outsider, just someone who could also win the backing of the far right...so someone like Sarah Palin, Rick Scott,...or if you consider some of the things Trump said David Duke, are all plausible. That individual would then split the hard right vote with Trump (and Cruz) allowing a more moderate nominee like Jeb Bush, Scott Walker or Christie to win the nomination.

A stronger Christie would've at the very least been able to take all of Kasich's voters and also take a chunk of Rubio's. He would've finished much stronger in the primary.

A stronger Christie finishes second to Trump, and probably is in good position to be on the ticket as VP or in the cabinet...maybe as Attorney General, and is the frontrunner in 2020 (if Trump loses) or 2024 (if Trump wins).