New Jersey 2013

[Progressive]

Chris Christie (R)

vs.


?           (D)


How do you think he will do?

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Christie is on track to draw and win against a McGreevey-level candidate.

[Torie]

Christie is on track to draw and win against a McGreevey-level candidate.

Who or whom is/are the "McGreevey-level" candidate or candidates?  That is a rather damning indictment of the Dem bench in NJ it seems to me.

[Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey]

If Christie is in danger of losing, he can pull a Romney and not run in 2013. Somehow I still think he'd be politically viable in 2016 regardless of whether he has a second term or not.

[Psychic Octopus]

I do not think he will face Cory Booker (the strongest Democratic candidate, and one of the best politicians in the country) because the two are, not so shockingly, political allies and friends. I think he'll win re-election, although I don't want to make any major predictions three years out.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Christie is on track to draw and win against a McGreevey-level candidate.

Who or whom is/are the "McGreevey-level" candidate or candidates?  That is a rather damning indictment of the Dem bench in NJ it seems to me.

There's not much bench on either side. The governor's seat is still one of only three seats with statewide profile, and Lautenberg and Menendez aren't running. You could argue that Cory Booker has some statewide appeal, but he's very close with the Christie administration, is the entire North Ward Dem machine.

Because of this alliance, you should expect Christie's eventual opponent to come from South Jersey. Someone like State Senator Sweeney or even former Rep. Adler. Pallone has been gearing up for a statewide run, but presumably, he's aiming for Senate.

[Niemeyerite]

 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.

[Psychic Octopus]

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.

[redcommander]

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.

[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.

[Keystone Phil]

We almost certainly know one thing: his most feared potential opponent is his friend and almost definitely won't run.

The State Senate President - Steve Sweeney is a rumored candidate. I don't think he'd be much of a problem though it would be interesting since he's from South Jersey. That being said, word is that there is a poll floating around showing Sweeney losing his bid for re-election in his Democratic district. That ought to tell you something.

Another rumored candidate has been now defeated Congressman John Adler. He's also from South Jersey.

As of now, things look good for Christie but we're three years away. It's too early to talk about this. The upcoming year's legislative elections will be big though. The entire legislature is up for re-election so it will be very entertaining.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

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.

[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).

[Keystone Phil]

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.

[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.

[ajc0918]

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

[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.

[California8429]

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.

Christie was sailing until they attacked him with ties to Bush, and he still won, that's the big thing. Bush's approval didn't rebound until after the 2009 elections

[feeblepizza]

Booker will be the Democratic nominee and it will once again be a close race, but I think Christie will prevail. He's really done a phenomenal job of cleaning up the mess over there.

[Rowan]

Booker won't run against Christie and that's pretty much obvious to anyone that is paying attention.

[Lunar]

Booker won't run against Christie and that's pretty much obvious to anyone that is paying attention.

I've been paying attention as much as anybody, my roommate is a school teacher in Newark and I read like a hundred articles on Booker's blizzard efforts when I was stuck in California as a result of the blizzard.

And I can say that I'd have my doubts about what you just said.  Booker backed Christie's property tax relief, but that doesn't mean they can't be electoral opponents

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Booker won't run against Christie and that's pretty much obvious to anyone that is paying attention.

I've been paying attention as much as anybody, my roommate is a school teacher in Newark and I read like a hundred articles on Booker's blizzard efforts when I was stuck in California as a result of the blizzard.

And I can say that I'd have my doubts about what you just said.  Booker backed Christie's property tax relief, but that doesn't mean they can't be electoral opponents

It's not a "paying attention" thing. It's an understanding Essex County politics thing.

Christie is backed by the Essex County Democratic machine -- he has incredibly strong ties to North Ward powerbroker Adubado, who made Booker, not to mention his ties with Essex County Exec DiVincenzo.

New Jersey politics is weird. When it comes to the machines, partisanship doesn't matter so long as you're getting what you want. And believe me, Essex County Democrats are getting what they want.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Booker won't run against Christie and that's pretty much obvious to anyone that is paying attention.

I've been paying attention as much as anybody, my roommate is a school teacher in Newark and I read like a hundred articles on Booker's blizzard efforts when I was stuck in California as a result of the blizzard.

And I can say that I'd have my doubts about what you just said.  Booker backed Christie's property tax relief, but that doesn't mean they can't be electoral opponents

It's not a "paying attention" thing. It's an understanding Essex County politics thing.

Christie is backed by the Essex County Democratic machine -- he has incredibly strong ties to North Ward powerbroker Adubado, who made Booker, not to mention his ties with Essex County Exec DiVincenzo.

New Jersey politics is weird. When it comes to the machines, partisanship doesn't matter so long as you're getting what you want. And believe me, Essex County Democrats are getting what they want.

I read that in a New Yorker article about Christie. When I tried to explain it to Phil he got mad because he thought I tried to impugn his idol's integrity by tying him with all those sleazy Dem bosses.

[fezzyfestoon]

It almost certainly won't be Booker for a whole host of reasons and that means a huge advantage for Christie already.  There aren't any exciting Democrats to take the positive vote, all they can hope for is someone they can make Christie look more bad than.  That'll be easier than it was with Corzine by default.  I'd expect an apparently underwhelming win from Christie, meaning a huge one by New Jersey standards.  If it really will be a South Jersey candidate against him, I'd expect a little shifting with a tiny swing to Christie by virtue of a North Jersey swing holding more weight than a South Jersey one.

[Keystone Phil]

Booker won't run against Christie and that's pretty much obvious to anyone that is paying attention.

I've been paying attention as much as anybody, my roommate is a school teacher in Newark and I read like a hundred articles on Booker's blizzard efforts when I was stuck in California as a result of the blizzard.

And I can say that I'd have my doubts about what you just said.  Booker backed Christie's property tax relief, but that doesn't mean they can't be electoral opponents

It's not a "paying attention" thing. It's an understanding Essex County politics thing.

Christie is backed by the Essex County Democratic machine -- he has incredibly strong ties to North Ward powerbroker Adubado, who made Booker, not to mention his ties with Essex County Exec DiVincenzo.

New Jersey politics is weird. When it comes to the machines, partisanship doesn't matter so long as you're getting what you want. And believe me, Essex County Democrats are getting what they want.

I read that in a New Yorker article about Christie. When I tried to explain it to Phil he got mad because he thought I tried to impugn his idol's integrity by tying him with all those sleazy Dem bosses.

Notice that Mr. Moderate said "backed" by the bosses, not owned like a certain other idiot was saying he was.

You don't try to explain anything. You do your hack routine and spew your hatred of Christie because he is a "big, fat meanie." Sounds like someone was traumatized during childhood...