OPINION:
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
What a difference four years makes.
In 2011, Republicans were clamoring for a new candidate — someone, anyone. Quite a few of the party bigwigs weren’t happy with the Establishment choice who appeared all but certain to win the nomination — Mitt Romney. After losing in 2008 with a less-than-stellar nominee, Sen. John McCain, Republicans feared a repeat: A highly beatable Barack Obama would sweep the Electoral College and win the presidency while conservative voters stayed home.
Back then, one name came out of nowhere and was all the buzz for months: Chris Christie. The brash, plain-spoken New Jersey governor excited the base, which was bored with Mr. Romney. The Koch brothers liked him, and former General Electric CEO Jack Welch voiced his support.
Throughout the spring and summer of 2011, Mr. Christie toyed with the notion of running for the White House. But in October, he bailed, saying “Now is not my time.” He then ruled out a run as Mr. Romney’s running mate, and even celebrated President Obama during a visit to New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy.
And now, some of those same stalwart supporters from back then are saying 2016 isn’t his time, either.
“He’s been gone for so long, out of public view, and what press he’s getting is all bad,” said one Republican leader who asked not to be named. “Everyone’s already out there. Where is he?”
Where he has been is lining up support from big-money backers and courting small batches of power brokers who can help him in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. He has kept his profile high as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, lost a ton of weight through lap-band stomach surgery and continued to hone his reputation as a blunt truth-teller.
But this time around, some who urged him to run in 2012 have moved on — some to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, others to Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. While Mr. Christie seemed a good option when the alternative looked to be “getting stuck with Mr. Romney”; Republicans this year see a slew of good choices and aren’t willing to settle.
In some circles, Mr. Christie is seen as little better than the past two moderate Republican nominees, both of whom lost badly. Conservatives have been frustrated for the past eight years with presidential nominees they felt did not speak to them.
And Mr. Christie faces a strong headwind in 2016. He angered conservatives with his closeness to Mr. Obama, clashed with House Speaker John A. Boehner and even went up against the National Rifle Association. Conservatives “uninvited” him from their annual soiree, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2013.
This year, he appeared at CPAC, but a slew of attendees walked out during his question-and-answer session, and others booed his remarks. Since then, Mr. Christie has been overshadowed by other GOP candidates announcing their runs for president, including Mr. Rubio and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
What’s worse, the George Washington Bridge scandal, in which a staff member and political appointees of the governor conspired to create traffic jams by closing lanes at a toll plaza — purportedly to punish a Democratic mayor — has bubbled up again. On Friday, top aide David Wildstein pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy as part of a plea agreement.
Still, Mr. Christie remains on track to make a run in 2016. And he isn’t shying away from tough issues: Last month, he broached the third rail of politics, proposing massive reforms to federal entitlement programs — reductions to Social Security benefits and raising the eligibility age for retirees.
Plus, he inhabits a zone no other potential candidate can claim: While Republican hopefuls are preparing to battle one another for hard-core conservatives who will sway the primary season, Mr. Christie is keeping his eye on the real target — Hillary Rodham Clinton. Persuading the right wing of the party to support him will be difficult, but not impossible. His ace in the hole: I can beat Hillary.
Most of all, Mr. Christie has one huge asset absent in his intraparty foes: He connects with average Americans. And if he can face the elitist multimillionaire Mrs. Clinton, he might just be a shoo-in. So it’s too early to bury Mr. Christie. He may be down, but he isn’t out. Not by a long shot.
• Joseph Curl covered the White House and politics for a decade for The Washington Times. He can be reached at josephcurl@gmail.com and on Twitter @josephcurl.
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