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Eye On Candidates
April 17, 2015

Could Christie Win New Hampshire?

It's been hard to find good news of late for Chris Christie's potential presidential candidacy, but Drew Cline of the New Hampshire Union Leader thinks the New Jersey governor is exactly the type of candidate who could do well in the Granite State:

Primary watchers give Christie little chance of winning New Hampshire if he decides to run for President this year. He is too low in the polls, they say. He has waited too long, they say. They ignore the one advantage Christie alone would possess. He is Chris Christie.

Journalists and professional political consultants parse the details of every policy position, while voters size up candidates in a more personal way. New Hampshire Republicans react well to bold candidates with strong personalities — John McCain, Pat Buchanan, Ronald Reagan — even if they disagree with those candidates on some issues. New Hampshire is almost tailor-made for Christie, who takes big political risks and can work a room like no other 2016 hopeful. That he has to win New Hampshire gives him all the more incentive to give the state the full Christie.

When he stumped for Romney in 2012, the chatter among Republicans was that the surrogate outshone the nominee. That was the case again last year when Christie made four visits on behalf of gubernatorial nominee Walt Havenstein. When Christie is in the room, all eyes turn to him. He is a carousel placed in the center of the banquet hall of a non-descript chain hotel...

It's a good analysis and shows why it's too early to be counting out any of the current crop of potential GOP nominees.