Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, took another subtle swipe at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s conservative credentials this week, while Mr. Christie dismissed such critiques and said he doesn’t have any fence-mending to do after his landslide re-election earlier this month.
Mr. Paul said on Fox News he thinks voters want someone outside of the gridlock in Washington when they’re thinking about 2016 presidential contenders.
“So for example, someone like myself, who’s been promoting term limits, someone who says we shouldn’t have decade-after-decade longevity up here, and I think I’m enough new here to still be perceived as an outsider, should that be the choice sometime in 2016,” Mr. Paul said.
Asked if Mr. Christie was a conservative, Mr. Paul said it depends.
“If you have a very loose definition, probably,” he said. “If you look at a lot of issues, like whether or not we should accept Obamacare, bring it to our state, expand Medicaid — those would be, I think, at best moderate positions. But everybody has to make that [judgment]. But I think we have room for moderates in our party.”
Mr. Christie, speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s annual CEO Council conference Monday, dismissed the talk among some that since he won re-election in a blue state, he’s not sufficiently “conservative.”
“This is completely crazy to me,” he said. “So in other words, among these elements, the better you do, the more voters you attract, the more diverse voters you attract, the more suspect you are. Well, there’s a winning formula, let me tell you. There’s a winning formula. So no, I don’t feel like I have any fence-mending to do. … I’m gonna be me. And if I ever decide to run for anything again, if being me isn’t good enough, then fine, I’ll go home.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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