Democrats plan to use Chris Christie's comments against House Republicans
Democrats are preparing a new broadside against vulnerable House Republicans by highlighting critical remarks made about Washington Republicans by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a possible GOP presidential contender.
On a number of issues, Christie has been critical of House Republicans this year, particularly over their handling of the October government shutdown, the delayed federal aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy, and the general state of congressional gridlock in the nation's capital.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the official party group responsible for electing Democrats to the House, is planning to launch a messaging campaign that uses the governor’s remarks against sitting House Republicans.
While not a paid ad buy (yet), the early messaging blast serves as a sneak peek into how Democrats intend to highlight discord within the Republican Party and badger potential GOP presidential candidates at the same time. The DCCC plans to blast out a series of press releases against GOP candidates in New Jersey, New York and California this week.
According to a DCCC release obtained by Yahoo News, the Democratic group will seek to tie individual lawmakers to Washington gridlock. They plan to highlight comments Christie made this week during a gathering of CEOs sponsored by the Wall Street Journal when he blamed Republican electoral failures on “bad decision-making and a loss of courage.” Last month, Christie also criticized Republicans (and Washington lawmakers in general) for the government shutdown, labeling it “an awful example of governance.”
In January, Christie spoke out against the “toxic internal politics of the House majority” after House Republicans delayed aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy. “House majority failed the most basic test of leadership and they did so with callous disregard to the people of my state,” Christie said during an interview with CNN. “It was disappointing and disgusting to watch. …There's only one group to blame ... the House majority, and their speaker, John Boehner."
Christie was elected to a second term as governor this month by a landslide, a campaign that has helped establish the 51-year-old governor as a leader in the Republican Party. Recent polls show that after his first term, Christie enjoys high approval ratings in his home state, even among Democrats.
