HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Republican Gov.
Christie played down his political leanings during the campaign against Democrat Barbara Buono, with a barrage of television ads that did not mention the word “Republican” once, instead focusing on times he worked with both political parties. That strategy was essential to winning over voters in New Jersey, where
While he was running for a second term as the state’s governor, even Christie acknowledged that the subtext was his expected run for the
“Christie for president starts at about 8:05 p.m. Tuesday, as soon as the polls close,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the
A Quinnipiac poll of presidential prospects taken last month showed that Christie trailed behind Sen.
Voters have praised Christie for the way he handled
Greg Zannetti, 23, a teaching assistant, voted for Obama, but said that on Tuesday he voted for Christie.
"He's a regular guy, and I like him," Zannetti said outside of a polling station at City Hall in Hoboken, where elderly residents lounged on benches in the sun. "I think he did a good job after Sandy."
Christie’s popularity did not appear to be enough to help
New Jersey voters overwhelmingly voted for Newark Mayor
“The recent
Whether that approach helps Christie in a presidential contest is another question. Polls show that New Jersey voters who support him for governor may not support him for president. That's partly because Christie has conservative positions on issues such as abortion and gay marriage, and voters are more likely to pay attention to social issues in a national election than in a statewide one.
Christie has appeared to move toward the center in recent weeks, dropping an appeal that sought to block gay marriage in New Jersey, and saying he supported in-state tuition breaks for undocumented immigrants. But a danger for Christie is that he has moved enough to the center to anger those on the right, but holds enough conservative positions to turn off those elsewhere on the political spectrum.
Megan Brewer, 27, planned to vote for Christie for governor. She likes how he handled Sandy, how he balanced the state's budget and how he tried to make teacher unions more accountable. But she wondered whether his recent statements on undocumented immigrants reflected Christie's true feelings. Her doubts are enough to keep her from supporting him in a national election, she said.
"It's just a political play," she said of his recent pronouncements. "I don't think we really agree on social issues."
Republicans, on the other hand, have been angered by his stance on undocumented immigrants, and by his decision to drop the appeal on the gay marriage case. That could be a big problem for Christie in 2016, said Cliff Zukin, a political science professor at Rutgers University.
"He can dominate and he can go across party lines, but with the Republicans, it's the question of can he appeal to the very moralistic voters," Zukin said. "Christie is not an ideologue, and that could be a problem."
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