How the GOP Race Pans Out after Christie Endorsement

[PeteB]

With Christie in his camp, there will be a rush of GOP establishment endorsements for Trump. This will eat heavily into any potential boost for Rubio.

I will now predict that Trump will beat Cruz in Texas and will win every SuperTuesday state except maybe VT. Cruz will be marginalized and forced either to withdraw or run as a protest candidate (which he always was).

I predict Rubio coming under increased attack and losing FL heavily, after which he will either leave or become sidelined.

Past March 15th, this will be a Trump juggernaut with only Kasich providing some opposition (yes I do think Kasich will win OH). Or Trump could get Kasich as his VP and tie it up on March 16th.

[I Will Not Be Wrong]

A single endorsement is not going to change the race.

[Gass3268]

A single endorsement is not going to change the race.

Killed all of Rubio's momentum from last night. No one is talking about the debate anymore. Super Tuesday is going to be a slaughter.

[pho]

Man, Trump plays the media better than any politician I have ever seen.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

With Christie in his camp, there will be a rush of GOP establishment endorsements for Trump. This will eat heavily into any potential boost for Rubio.

I will now predict that Trump will beat Cruz in Texas and will win every SuperTuesday state except maybe VT. Cruz will be marginalized and forced either to withdraw or run as a protest candidate (which he always was).

Can you explain why you think the endorsement of a crooked New England governor who is best known for hugging Obama will help Trump with Texas Republicans?

[SillyAmerican]

Past March 15th, this will be a Trump juggernaut with only Kasich providing some opposition (yes I do think Kasich will win OH). Or Trump could get Kasich as his VP and tie it up on March 16th.

Trump - President
Kasich - Vice President
Christie - Attorney General

That would really give Clinton something to chew on this early in the process...

Can you explain why you think the endorsement of a crooked New England governor who is best known for hugging Obama will help Trump with Texas Republicans?

I think Trump is already thinking beyond Texas Republicans. (Are you saying Christie will hurt Trump on Tuesday? I believe at the very worst it's a wash...).

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Man, Trump plays the media better than any politician I have ever seen.

Yep. Genius move once again. No one cares about the debate anymore; all of the news is focusing on Christie.

[PeteB]

With Christie in his camp, there will be a rush of GOP establishment endorsements for Trump. This will eat heavily into any potential boost for Rubio.

I will now predict that Trump will beat Cruz in Texas and will win every SuperTuesday state except maybe VT. Cruz will be marginalized and forced either to withdraw or run as a protest candidate (which he always was).

Can you explain why you think the endorsement of a crooked New England governor who is best known for hugging Obama will help Trump with Texas Republicans?

Happy to. Because Christie's more moderate positions will encourage some Rubio and even Kasich "establishment" supporters to go for Trump or just give up and not vote. While I  don't think Christie's endorsement willl sway any Cruz supporters, at the last RCP polling average for TX, Rubio was pulling 18% and Kasich was at 7%. With such a tight race a few points going to Trump may be enough for a victory. Of course TX is not a winner take all state but, anything but first, would be a moral loss for Cruz.

[Joe Biden is your president. Deal with it.]

A single endorsement is not going to change the race.

[PeteB]

A single endorsement is not going to change the race.

Assuming it stays as a single endorsement, it probably won't.  But there are already rumors of a Giuliani endorsement, and other Republicans know that coming out early (assuming they believe in a Trump victory) will pay higher dividends than sitting on the fence, especially with someone like Trump who takes these things personally.

As I said, I predict that this will be a Trump - Kasich race from March 15th (I am on record regarding this prediction, here on Atlas, so we will see if I am smoking something "really good", or if I am clairvoyant)!

[IceSpear]

A single endorsement is not going to change the race.

[Maxwell]

Man, Trump plays the media better than any politician I have ever seen.

Nobody understand the media like TRUMP.

And of course a single endorsement isn't going to change the race. But a single endorsement singlehandily stopped all coverage of Rubio's supposed "debate moment" and put all the lights back on Trump. Thus it stopped Rubiomentum and Trump is still in a very good place heading into Super Tuesday, which is all he needed.

This should really be obvious by now.

[Phony Moderate]

Maybe comparable to Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Obama prior to Super Tuesday 2008?

[PeteB]

An interesting admission from Kasich tonight:
Kasich spoke with reporters Friday night after conducting a town hall meeting at the University of Memphis.
Kasich says he was a little surprised when Christie gave his support to Trump. The Ohio governor says he didn't try to pressure Christie and adds that "you couldn't pressure Chris Christie into anything anyway."

Kasich says, "It's just the way life is. It's OK." He says Christie is a friend and always will be.