Despite his sky-high approval rating, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s rhetoric against congressional Republicans after superstorm Sandy cost him an invitation to speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
“He made it very hard for Republicans in the Congress at a time when we were trying to deal with fiscal restraint,” Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union, told the Journal. The American Conservative Union organizes CPAC, an annual gathering of prominent conservatives.
In an email to National Journal, Cardenas added that Christie’s decision to accept Medicaid expansion under President Obama’s health care law was another disqualifying factor.
“CPAC is like the all-star game for professional athletes; you get invited when you have had an outstanding year,” he told National Journal. “Hopefully he will have another all-star year in the future, at which time we will be happy to extend an invitation. This is a conservative conference, not a Republican Party event.”
Many conservative stars are slated to speak at the conference, including Sarah Palin, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R).
