Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie is starting to make huge inroads with a major bloc of voters.
However, it’s not a voting bloc that will do him any good as he’s looking to unseat former President Donald Trump – and a few others – from atop the list of GOP presidential candidates.
In recent months, the former governor of New Jersey has become very popular with Democrats. Liberals used to view Christie as a threat and bully, and as someone who served as an apologist for Trump.
Now, though, Politico reported that Democrats “can’t get enough” of his new persona that constantly bashes Trump.
In a new Politico report, the media outlet spoke to some Democratic voters to get their take on the matter. One such person was Joe Daly from New Hampshire, who voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, but isn’t so sure he’ll do the same this time around.
Daly said of Christie:
“He’s probably the one Republican I would vote for. … [He is] the most reasonable, rational alternative to crazy Donald Trump.”
While it might seem odd that Democrats would like a Republican candidate, it’s actually not all that out of the ordinary for Christie. He served two terms as governor of New Jersey, a state that typically leans very heavily to the left.
Christie became known as a politician who worked well with politicians on both sides of the aisle, but particularly with Democrats so that he could earn significant victories with policies.
Now, that support from Democrats is coming from outside of his home state.
A poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College in July revealed that 14% of liberals would be most likely vote for Christie as the GOP presidential nominee. Including people who “lean” that way, Christie actually had support of 24%, according to that poll.
That number is significantly higher than any poll that’s been taken of likely Republican primary voters.
What this data tells us is that Christie could actually have a realistic shot at winning a General Election and becoming president in 2024 … if it weren’t for the fact that he needs to make it out of the GOP primary first.
Still, Christie is leaning into this support from Democrats, looking to gain more followers from wherever he can. He recently appeared on a podcast that’s hosted by one-time aides to former President Barack Obama. He appeared on another one that’s co-hosted by James Carville, a veteran strategist for the Democratic Party.
As Politico pointed out, Christie’s approach of constantly criticizing Trump and at the same time building up his ability to work on a bipartisan basis is a message he’s hoping will capture independent and Republican voters who are “looking for a return to a seemingly bygone era of politicking – when ‘compromise’ wasn’t a ‘dirty word.’”
Will this tactic work? Thus far, it’s made inroads with liberals, but that cohort of voters will only matter if Christie’s able to somehow unseat Trump and the many others currently in front of him in GOP primary polls.
