Chris Christie is pushing back against calls to drop out of the presidential race and taking aim at front-runner Donald Trump with a major ad blitz in the early voting states.
The New Jersey Governor’s television and radio spots blasted Trump for his “reckless ideas” and took direct shots at his opponents’ business record, immigration ideas, and lack of conservative credentials.
In one commercial, Christie questioned Trump’s credentials, saying, “Donald Trump may be a great showman, but America is too important to put an entertainer in charge.”
In another, which was released in Iowa, he touted his own success in New Jersey and suggested his political opponents, such as Senator Cruz and Senator Rubio, are not sufficiently conservative.
In a more negative ad, Christie called out Trump by name, saying, “Donald Trump has changed his position on immigration so many times, it’s impossible to keep up.”
By contrast, the Christie campaign has sought to portray their candidate as a principled conservative who is the only experienced leader in the Republican field.
Christie has argued that he is the only true conservative in the race and that his record of fiscal responsibility, strong economic development, and successful law enforcement make him uniquely qualified to be the GOP nominee.
While Christie acknowledged that Trump has tapped into a “visceral anger” among voters, he also warned that the billionaire businessman is not a true conservative.
The ad blitz is seen as a last-ditch effort by Christie to break through in the crowded Republican field and gain some traction among primary voters in the early voting states. With his poll numbers hovering around single digits, Christie’s campaign needs to make a splash if he is to have any chance of competing for the GOP nomination.
