New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, speaking at a Latino Coalition luncheon in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, said his own party has been guilty at times of an unwelcoming tone toward prospective “new members” but highlighted his own performance among Latino voters during his 2013 re-election campaign as what can come if leaders are willing to listen.
“My party, quite frankly, has been guilty in some respects of speaking in a way that doesn’t sound very welcoming to new members,” said Mr. Christie, who is laying the groundwork for a possible 2016 White House run. “Any club that you might want to join, even if you agree with all the principles of that club, if the club doesn’t sound like it’s welcoming, you’re not going to come.”
Mr. Christie supported a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants in 2010, but said recently that he’s learned more about the ramifications as he’s gotten educated on the issue and that providing such a pathway is an “extreme way to go,” bringing him in line on the issue with much of the declared and prospective 2016 GOP presidential field.
But he has also said the millions of illegal immigrants in the country are not going to “self-deport,” an apparent reference to a line used by 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in a GOP debate.
He told attendees at the event hosted by the major advocacy group for Latino-owned small businesses that as governor of New Jersey, you don’t have the luxury of listening only to those who vote for you, pointing out that he won 48.5 percent of the vote in 2009.
After that, he went out and listened to the people, he said.
“Whether it was a school in a predominantly Latino neighborhood, whether it was an African-American church or whether it was a business owned by an Asian-American, I learned a lot, and I know it helped to make me a better leader,” he said.
“So then what happened when I offered myself for leadership again?” he asked, going on to point out that in his successful 2013 re-election campaign, he won 51 percent of the Latino vote.
“I think having it happen in New Jersey is even greater encouragement to the rest of the country, because if Latinos in New Jersey voted 51 percent for a Republican governor … after four years as governor, that tells you that if [we] change the way we interact with each other, if we change our … perspective, even when we disagree, that we can bring people together,” he said.
He also pointed out that he got 9 percent of the black vote in 2009 and 22 percent in 2013, and that he won 56 percent of the female vote in 2013.
“If you want to be a leader in this country, you need to first reach your hand out and change the tone of our national conversation, and give all people who care about this country a meaningful seat at the table,” he said.
Mr. Christie, who also touched on school choice in his address, is scheduled to deliver a speech on education reform at Iowa State University Thursday in Ames before attending a Polk County GOP dinner Thursday evening and holding a town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids on Friday.
He chose the early presidential state of New Hampshire to deliver recent speeches on entitlement reform, the economy and foreign policy.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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