The New York Times editorial board had a clear message for Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday — go home.
In an editorial, the board said that Christie spoke for 8 minutes at the Republican debate Wednesday, but “said little of substance.”
The Times analyzed Christie’s campaign numbers:
It has been four months since Mr. Christie, both eyes blackened by Bridgegate, jumped into the presidential ring. After months spent in Iowa and New Hampshire, he’s in 11th place, his support among likely Republican primary voters hovering between nobody and 4 percent. His most recent quarterly contributions totaled $4.2 million, compared with $20.1 million for Ben Carson, and $13.4 million for Jeb Bush. Half of Christie’s vaunted “leadership team” of New Jersey politicos didn’t give him a dime.
The editorial also said Christie’s attention would be better served in his state’s capital, Trenton, which had been “running on autopilot” during his campaign for the presidency.
From the piece:
In an interview Tuesday on CBS, Mr. Christie said no other candidate has been more tested than he has, including Hillary Rodham Clinton. “My responsibilities, I think in many ways, have been greater than hers have been,” he said. He added: “When you’re in charge of the state and you’re the ultimate accountable person for what happens in that state over a period of time, I do think that that’s a much more personal challenge.”
That “period of time,” Mr. Christie, is called a second term, and until it ends in 2017, you are accountable for what happens in New Jersey.
Christie pushed back against the editorial on Twitter:
.@nytimes Can’t read the article because I don’t have a subscription, but I can tell you this – I am not going anywhere.
— Chris Christie (@ChrisChristie) October 29, 2015
Read NYT’s full editorial here.
