an oath to serve the people of New Jersey, not to sup- port every decision that gets made by Congress.” And despite a recent endorsement from the 20,000-plus-member Labor- ers International Union of North America, Christie’s reforms by and large have put him at odds with orga- nized labor. “These are tough times
for New Jerseyans,” said state Assemblyman John Wisniewski, chairman of the state Democratic Party, who himself declined to run for governor this year. “Unfor- tunately, Gov. Christie has been missing in action.” Wisniewski added, “His
policies have overwhelm- ingly favored New Jersey’s wealthy at the expense of struggling families and have
children,” Christie said, “to try to make a political point I think is reprehensi- ble.” Taking on the GOP establishment may be a smart re-election strategy, analysts say, in a state where Obama defeated Romney by a whopping 58 percent to 41 percent. But privately, Repub-
licans acknowledge that Christie could face a tough road to a second term in New Jersey. Despite some gains, he has overseen a stubbornly sour economy: The state’s unemploy- ment rate, at 9.6 percent, is about 2 points higher than the national average, and remains among the nation’s highest. “Some people may not always like
U.S. 7.6%
not represented the values of the peo- ple of our state.” Democrats’ biggest challenge so
UNEMPLOYMENT AVERAGES
N.J. 9.6%
New Jersey’s high unemployment rate signals problems for Christie’s re-election.
far: recruiting a top-tier candidate to oppose Christie. Both Newark Mayor Corey Booker and outgoing EPA Administrator Lisa Jack- son passed on the race. At this point, the only announced Democratic candidate is state Sen. Barbara Buono, a long- time fi xture in Trenton and a reliable vote for her party’s liberal wing. Fundraising so far has
been one-sided. Christie raked in $2.1 million in December, while Buono raised only about $250,000
that he calls it as he sees it,” said Michael DuHaime, a top Christie campaign strategist. “But he swore
within about two weeks of tossing her hat in the ring in mid-December. Analysts note, however, that New Jersey’s public fi nancing law provides
a big boost to those candidates who are underfunded. Buono recently told The Huff -
ington Post why she believes voters should reject Christie this fall. She cited his opposition to gay mar-
riage, his opposition to funding for Planned Parenthood, and his eff orts to “stack the [state] Supreme Court with justices who share his extreme views.” But Chris- tie has chartered an independent and oftentimes lib- eral line that helps in 2013 but will undermine any
SEN. BUONO
chances of winning the GOP’s presi- dential nod in 2016. Christie has called for gun control, defending his state’s tough laws, by saying, “I want to make sure that we don’t have an abundance of guns out there.” A Republican candidate with- out strong NRA support is considered a nonstarter. In 2008, Christie claimed that
being in the United States without legal documents did not make some- one a criminal. He has lambasted con- servatives for criticizing attempts to impose Shariah (Islamic law) in the United States (New Jersey has one of the largest populations of Muslim vot- ers in the country). And after appointing a liberal
as state attorney general, Christie wouldn’t sign on to the lawsuits oppos- ing Obamacare. He has also made no bones about his view that “climate change is real” and that “human activ- ity plays a role in these changes.” Other Democrats are still eyeing the
race, including state Senate President Steve Sweeney; state Sen. Richard Codey; Elizabeth, N.J. Mayor Chris Bollwage; and veteran Congressmen Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell.
MARCH 2013 | NEWSMAX 31
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