MERRIMACK, N.H. – Greg Weiner has one priority in the upcoming presidential election – finding a candidate who’s not “living in an alternative reality.” The 54-year-old believes former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the only Republican contender who fits the bill. According to him, Christie is the only candidate with the guts to take on former President Donald Trump.
“The other Republican candidates are hiding behind him,” Weiner, a self-described New Hampshire moderate, told USA TODAY. “They don’t want to call it what it is, the extreme right end of the party.”
Weiner represents a small but key constituency of independent-minded New Hampshire voters that Christie is targeting to boost his longshot White House bid. Since launching his candidacy in June, Christie has focused almost entirely on campaigning in the Granite State. He has positioned himself as the leading anti-Trump voice in the race and has been working to win over voters like Weiner who are unhappy with the direction of the Republican Party.
However, with just two months to go until the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, Christie has yet to gain significant support on the ground. Polls published last week showed Christie lagging at least six points behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and 28 points behind Trump in New Hampshire, despite having spent more time there than either of them.
Christie’s strategy of attacking Trump seems to be drawing voters but prevents him from gaining more widespread support, according to GOP strategists. When Christie announced his 2024 presidential bid, he immediately positioned himself as anti-Trump, branding the former president “a lonely, self-consumed, self-serving mirror hog.” Charlie Bass, a former U.S. congressman for New Hampshire’s second district, said Christie’s approach has helped him win over moderate Republicans, undeclared voters, and Democrats who left their party affiliation to support Christie in the upcoming Republican primary.
Christie has maintained this base, drawing support from 33% of self-described moderates, according to a recent survey conducted by the University of New Hampshire and CNN. However, he has struggled to attract more conservative voters to his coalition, claiming that his aggressive anti-Trump stance has caused reluctance in a large part of the Republican base.
While polls show a modest four-point bump for Christie since September, his support has stagnated over the last few months. Nonetheless, Christie’s campaign finds hope in the fact that the number of Republican primary voters who find him unappealing has decreased.
However, Christie’s campaign has a limited sphere to broaden its support. The campaign faces reluctance not only from Trump voters but also Republicans who are put off by Christie’s criticism of Trump. Many voters, like 64-year-old Pam McGrath, believe that Christie is giving Trump more publicity and aren’t pleased with his approach.
Amidst this, Christie is being challenged by conservative voters’ preference for Haley’s issue-oriented approach. GOP strategists are questioning whether Christie’s campaign should pivot toward a similar strategy to discuss Trump.
Without an adjustment in his approach, strategists see an uncertain path for Christie. “There’s time to do it. The question is, can he do it?” said GOP strategist Jim Merrill.
