Christie has high praise for Cuomo
ASBURY PARK, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie has handed his critics within the Republican Party fodder for reneging on a promise to support New York's GOP gubernatorial candidate.
Christie repeatedly praised Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in New York at a news conference following an anti-terror summit Monday and has yet to commit to any of Republican challenger Rob Astorino's fundraising events.
Christie earlier in the summer described Astorino's campaign as a lost cause but last week changed gears, calling Astorino "the best candidate to lead the state forward."
But now, the New Jersey governor — who controls fundraising for the Republican Governors Association as the group's chairman — appears to be solidly in Cuomo's corner, said GOP strategist Rick Shaftan.
Shaftan said that could catch up with Christie in a potential run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
"How could that not turn Republicans off for both Astorino's campaign and for Christie?" said Shaftan, adding that the George Washington Bridge scandal has put Christie in a position where he can't campaign against Cuomo. The two governors share control of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge.
Christie at Monday's event was effusive, saying, "The job of myself and Gov. Cuomo, as we see it, is to lead and make sure that the appropriate amount of intensity is being brought to the task of protecting our region."
Later, he said, "I thank the governor for, like this and many other issues, our partnership over the last number of years in making sure that we're doing our jobs for the people of this very interconnected region in a way that's going to keep us safe."
The optics weren't favorable to Astorino. In an email, Republican Governors Association spokesman Jon Thompson didn't respond to a question about what Christie might do in the future to help Astorino, but he said the organization "is proud to support (Astorino)."
The RGA, rather than the governor's office, responded because the inquiries were political in nature.
Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray said appearances with Cuomo as well as photo opportunities earlier Monday at a prisoner re-entry center ceremony with former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., provided both risks and rewards for Christie.
"Assuming he runs for president, he's got to win a Republican nomination process, but at the same time he has to position himself for a general election. He carefully chooses those issues on which he's willing to appear at a bipartisan venue," Murray said.
Astorino spokesman Bill O'Reilly conceded that a Christie bump is growing unlikely.
"We'll have to take the governor's word for it at this point," O'Reilly said.
Astorino has received support or commitments from Republican governors Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Rick Perry of Texas, as well as Carly Fiorina, who was the GOP nominee for Senate from California in 2010.
Jindal and Perry are scheduled to appear at Astorino events in October.