Liberal Pundits Are Main Supporters of Chris Christie in the Primary

Chris Christie, despite his low support among Republican voters, is gaining popularity among liberal pundits in the Republican presidential race. The Los Angeles Times‘ Robin Abcarian has praised Christie as a bold truth teller for his poetic description of Donald Trump. Joe Klein found Christie’s CNN town hall “exhilarating” and appreciates his fluency and reasonability on various issues. Even though Christie is not favored to win, Jim Newell of Slate enjoys his presence in the race for bringing energy and fun. Jennifer Rubin and Dick Polman also believe that Christie’s presence is crucial at a time when the GOP-MAGA nomination contest lacks strength and moral integrity.

While Christie is not particularly charming, he is entertaining and doesn’t use the typical guarded language of politicians. Mark Leibovich’s account of breakfast with Christie captures his rollicking yet unnerving nature. Christie has become a favorite among the chattering class, much like Elizabeth Warren. However, his appeal to voters is limited. As Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times points out, Christie needs to win over voters who dislike liberal columnists, not just those who enjoy his newfound Resistance shtick.

Many of the positive impressions of Christie stem from a flawed vision of how to beat Trump. Christie subscribes to the belief that defeating Trump requires engaging with him in debate and delivering clever verbal slaps. However, this theory overlooks how Joe Biden successfully bested Trump by lowering the temperature and emphasizing Trump’s aberrant behavior. Republican Senator Tim Scott is approaching the race in a similar optimistic manner, posing a potential threat to Biden in a general election.

Despite the challenges he faces, Scott is polling higher than Christie. While both candidates face hurdles, Scott’s strategy, although unlikely to succeed, could be more effective. Regardless, Christie’s presence in the race will continue to captivate the press.