New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) latest web ad released Thursday skewered former Sen. Rick Santorum’s (R-PA) rambling and inarticulate endorsement of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for President.
Santorum, who suspended his campaign on Wednesday, announced his endorsement of Rubio on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” the next day. But when pressed, repeatedly, for a specific reason why he picked Rubio, Santorum stumbled. Eventually he mentioned Rubio’s role in an amendment related to fighting Obamacare.
The Christie campaign put carnival music behind a shortened version of Santorum’s interview with MSNBC. The ad is titled “It’s A Simple Question.”
Christie campaign spokeswoman Samantha Smith told The Hill the ad “highlights yet again Marco Rubio’s total lack of experience.” She would not disclose the size of the digital ad buy.
The digital ad wasn’t the only time Christie’s campaign commented on Santorum’s endorsement.
During a town hall in Henniker, New Hampshire, Christie joked that one accomplishment named by Santorum—”some amendment on Obamacare at one point”—earned Rubio a place on Mount Rushmore alongside George Washington.
“They gave Sen. Santorum three minutes—which doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s a lot of time on television—three minutes to name one accomplishment of Sen. Rubio,” Christie told the crowd. “One. Just one. It took him three minutes and he finally came up with that he fought some amendment on Obamacare at one point. Let me tell you, they’re saving a place on Mount Rushmore after that one.”
Christie has hung his presidential hopes on the New Hampshire electorate and spent significant time campaigning there. TPM’s PollTracker average shows Christie in sixth place at 4.8 percent.
Santorum responded via Twitter, saying he was “disappointed” in “my friend.”
Disappointed in @ChrisChristie. Taking my words completely out of context. Expected so much more from my friend. #TeamMarco
— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) February 5, 2016
Watch the ad:
Ouch. In the General, Hillary needs to take this ad and run with it. She owes Chris a big bearhug!
Sweet.
“Not a fair question”
If Santorum runs again in 4 years time (perish the thought), I hope somebody will dig this one out…
Santorum lost it in endorsing Rubio. What has Rubio accomplished? Nothing! But Christie is also wrong. He’s the failed governor of New Jersey who is never in his state.
“Out of context?” That ad has Santorum’s fumble 100 percent IN context! I still can’t believe that doofus went on national TV to announce an endorsement without preparing for the most obvious question he’d be asked: “Why?”