Column: The least bad of the bunch

Here’s my rationale for voting for Chris Christie despite the fact I would never support him for president:

As a registered undeclared voter in New Hampshire, a “Never Trumper,” and one who does not want 2024 to be a rematch of the 2020 election, I find myself in an ethical dilemma. In primary elections I typically vote for the candidate I would ultimately like to see elected. But, as it stands now, the Democratic Party primary does do not offer a realistic alternative to the incumbent, a candidate who was not my choice in their 2020 primary.

There is, however, a Republican candidate I would vote for if the primary election were held in the coming weeks but a candidate I would not support in the general election: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. I am drawn to Christie because he is speaking out bluntly and forcefully against the former president using the blustery and belligerent style that got him elected in the late 2000s and early 2010s, a style that paved the way for Trump’s campaigns.

I would cast my vote despite my a long-standing antipathy for Chris Christie. When he was governor of New Jersey he promoted for-profit charter schools, teacher evaluations based on standardized test scores and the abolition of New Jersey’s funding formula that provided urban school districts with equitable funding — but drove up taxes in affluent communities. As governor he took pleasure in denigrating and bullying public school teachers, intimidating his opponents, and complaining about the federal government while accepting billions following Superstorm Sandy. Right-wing voters loved his “straight-shooting-tell-it-like-it-is” brand of politics. They cheered him when he scolded the media at press conferences, when he called his opponents names and even after he created a horrific traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge to pay back a mayor who refused to endorse his re-election. I viewed him then and now as a bully.

In 2015, Christie was part of the herd of candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the presidency, a nomination that ultimately went to Donald Trump. He never spoke out against Trump in that primary and once it was clear that Trump would be the victor, Christie went all in for him. He was initially named head of Trump’s transition team and was reportedly in line for Chief of Staff. But for several political and petty reasons Christie fell out of grace with Trump and was excluded from his cabinet altogether.

Fast forward to late May 2023 when Christie declared as a candidate for President in 2024 and become the most vocal and strident GOP critic of the former President. Using the direct and blunt language that made him popular in his early years as NJ Governor, he delivered a message Trump loyalists do not want to hear. Here’s NBC News’ description of Christie’s speech to the Faith and Freedom Conference, which was hardly well-received:

“I’m running because he’s let us down,” Christie said of Trump, as some in the audience began to boo. “Trump has not assumed responsibility for his past mistakes,” Christie said, describing him as a failed leader unfit to serve another term in the White House.

“You can boo all you want,” Christie said as the jeers grew louder.

“But here’s the thing, our faith teaches us that people have to take responsibility for what they do,” Christie added, this time as audible clapping began to clash with the boos. “People have to stand up and take accountability for what they do.”

That is a small sample. In the weeks since he entered the race, Christie has been hammering away at the president’s lies and inflated ego and counter-punching rapidly and directly whenever he is confronted with Trump’s insults. And because of his wile, wit, and charisma, Christie has captured the spotlight, appearing on Fox News, the Sunday news shows, local TV and radio shows, and receiving coverage in a wide range of online and print media outlets ranging from the Daily Beast to USA Today to the National Review. As of late last week, Christie was polling third in New Hampshire and is moving up, and some fence-sitters in the GOP and candidates for 2024 are taking note.

Which brings me back to my original question: Is it fair for me, an undeclared voter, to register as a Republican and cast a vote in the GOP primary for a candidate I would not support in November 2024? I believe it is. As it stands now, roughly half of the registered Republicans support Trump. But since only 30% of the voters in NH are registered Republicans it means that 15% of the registered GOP voters would determine my ultimate choice in November 2024 and likely force a rerun of 2020.

As one of the 38% of the undeclared voters in New Hampshire I plan to use my opportunity to vote in either primary to do everything possible to make sure that the 2024 election is run on issues and not on personalities. If Donald Trump is the GOP candidate in 2024 we experience a reprise of 2020 and issues will take a back seat. The GOP will not offer a platform, Trump will campaign against the “Deep State,” offer diatribes against his “enemies,” and the news will continue to focus on issues from the past election. I want to see a 2024 campaign that engages the public in a substantive debate about the future, which sustains means a candidate other than Donald Trump. That’s why I intend to vote in the GOP primary for a candidate who can keep Donald Trump off the ballot and today that candidate is Chris Christie.