From a block of brownstones in Hoboken, Nick Acocella has been putting out a weekly newsletter devoted to New Jersey politics for 18 years. He spoke with NJTV News Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron on the chances that Gov. Chris Christie has if he makes a presidential run.
If Christie decides to run for president, Acocella said that it’s difficult to say how he would fare.
“You got to think there are going to be a minimum six candidates and it really depends on who gets into the race,” Acocella said. “If the guys on the right wing of the Republican Party, if a number of them get into the race and Christie’s the only one who’s not identified with that right wing, with the Ted Cruz and Rand Paul and people of that ilk, he stands a pretty good shot. If on the other hand, one guy from the extreme right gets in and the governor and Jeb Bush and John Casey all get in, then that minimizes his chances. We have to see who’s going to announce. There could be as many as a dozen candidates.”
Recently the New York Times Sunday magazine ran a profile on Christie. Acocella said that the magazine was right that Christie does enjoy the power of being governor and that he would enjoy the power of being president. He said, however, that he had a problem with the article because he thought some of it, like a portion that discussed nachos, was unnecessary and unprofessional.
The article also mentioned that Christie is the most well known around the country of the potential Republican candidates. Acocella said that didn’t surprise him at all and he believes that is true.
“I mean in my modest travels, people come up to me when they know I’m from New Jersey and ask me if I know him,” Acocella said. “I mean I remember at the Republican Convention people coming up to me. I’d wear my New Jersey press credential, people would come after me and say, ‘Do you know Chris Christie? Tell him we love him.'”
There have been some critics that say Christie is too liberal for the Republican Party. Acocella said that the past two Republican nominees — John McCain and Mitt Romney — were too liberal for the Republican Party. He also said that he would even include President George W. Bush, going back to the last three Republican nominees. He also said that the outcome all depends on how it shakes out. “Republicans wanna win. Are they going to be practical or are the people who are the base of the Republican Party, that pro-gun, pro-life faction of the Republican Party going to insist on purity remains to be seen,” he said.
If Christie does decide to run for president, Acocella said that his biggest problem will be the economy since New Jersey has not had the same type of recovery as neighboring states. He doubts the George Washington Bridge lane closures, nicknamed Bridgegate, would be an issue in a presidential campaign.
“New Jersey lags behind its neighbors. We have not recovered in the way that New York and Connecticut have. That could be a problem. Our unemployment is high, our revenue projections were never met. That’s a problem,” said Acocella.
Critics have also said that Christie’s temperament plays well on the east coast, but might not in other parts of the country. Acocella said he is not sure that’s true and that Christie’s temperament could be seen as determination and might not hurt him as much as people think it would.
Acocella said that he would be surprised if Christie didn’t announce a presidential run.
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t,” said Acocella. “I mean he’s got the cache, he’s got the fundraising ability. He is the best known of the candidates, he’s been all around the country in every media market there is. I would be very, very surprised if he didn’t.”