The editorial board of The Newark Star-Ledger slammed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Wednesday for having “lost touch with reality” so much that he believes he still has a shot at the presidency.
The scathing editorial in the state’s biggest newspaper referenced a recent Quinnipiac poll that showed 65 percent of New Jersey residents believed Christie wouldn’t make a good President. The governor spun that statistic to defend his 2016 prospects in an interview with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly that aired Monday night.
“They want me to stay,” Christie told Kelly. “A lot of those people in that 65 percent want me to stay. And I’ve heard that from lots of people at town hall meetings. ‘Don’t leave to run for President because we want you to stay.'”
The Star-Ledger’s editorial board said that was delusional.
“For months, we have wondered how Gov. Chris Christie thinks he can win the presidency when New Jersey is in such rotten shape after his six years in office,” the editorial read. “Now we may have our answer: The man has lost touch with reality.”
Christie has made moves toward a 2016 presidential run, including setting up a political action committee that would allow him to raise campaign funds, but has yet to announce his intentions. His wife, Mary Pat Christie, admitted in an interview with CNN last week that enthusiasm for a Chris Christie 2016 campaign “isn’t as crazy as it was.”
The Star-Ledger’s editorial board advised Christie to think hard about the answer to the question “Why don’t people love me?” before he decides to jump into the 2016 fray.
“It could be the rotten job market. Or the high property taxes. Or the crumbling transit system. Or the broken promise on pensions. Or the private jets. Or the Bridgegate indictments. And so on,” the editorial read. “It’s no wonder that New Jersey is screaming a warning to the rest of the country. God forbid he gets a chance to make an even bigger mess on a larger stage.”
