As Christie era wanes, Jersey GOP has little to show for it

[DonViejo]

By RYAN HUTCHINS 11/07/2017 05:04 AM EST

As Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno vied for last-minute votes over the frenzied final days of the New Jersey governor’s race, Chris Christie never showed up on the stump. In fact, the governor has not appeared in public once to support Guadagno, who has been by his side for more than eight years.

With Christie’s approval hitting 14 percent among likely voters in a recent poll, it’s not hard to not see why. Once considered by many to be the future of the Republican party, Christie is now too toxic for the very people who helped put him in power. But for the GOP in New Jersey, Christie’s political legacy goes beyond the traffic jam that helped destroy his reputation and his star-crossed alliance with Donald Trump. It isn’t just about a public distaste for the governor. Christie, some say, put his own future ahead of his party — openly embracing Democrats when he could have extended coattails to Republicans.

“I think Chris Christie has destroyed the Republican brand in New Jersey for a political generation,” said Matt Hale, a professor at Seton Hall University.

Christie was beaten down by the bridge scandal, left behind as a second-tier presidential candidate, fired from Trump's transition team and passed over for the job he wanted in the administration.

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https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2017/11/07/as-christie-era-wanes-jersey-gop-has-little-to-show-for-it-115526?lo=ap_b1

[Laxman]

1. Oh, There's Plenty To Show For It....

all of it bad. He left a trail of wreckage in his wake while somehow escaping responsibility for his actions. Four of his closest advisers convicted of criminal offenses. Their careers ruined. He ended the careers of the CEO and other top executives at United Airlines. He politicized Hurricane Sandy recovery. We've lost count of the number of downgrades to New Jersey's once prime credit rating. He diverted environmental clean up funds to one time budget fixes. Cut a sweetheart deal for ExxonMobil to settle a multi-billion dollar environmental damage claim for pennies on the dollar. All the while being a laughingstock for New Jersey and the nation. 14% approval rating? Probably within the margin of his family and close friends making up that sector of the state's residents. Eight years of this guy-we're lucky to have survived. Worst of all of this, he's just not a nice person. He'll forever be remembered for berating people at his staged Town Hall meetings, abusing teachers, yelling like the bully he is and then there's that photograph in his softball uniform. No amount of eye bleach can remove that image. Today is a day for celebration. Our long nightmare is nearing an end. When Murphy kicks the ass of Christie's toadie Kim Guadagno, the hard work of cleaning up this mess begins.

[NNadir]

2. Nice summary. N/t

[grantcart]

3. Sure but besides that the guy is a peach.

[Jim Lane]

4. Well, he DID put Jared Kushner's father in jail. That's something, right? (n/t)