Another day, Save Jerseyans, another dust-up between the former two-time running mates Chris Christie and Kim Guadagno.
In case you missed it, our Governor appeared on Wednesday night’s monthly ‘Ask the Governor’ program which he co-hosts with NJ 101.5’s Eric Scott, and he both refused to endorse his second-in-command while simultaneously expressing doubt as to whether she’s up to the job.
“Good for her,” a snarky Christie said referring to Guadagno’s recent campaign launch event, adding, “we have to see how that progresses” since it’s a contested primary and he’s titular head of the NJGOP.
Titular with particular emphasis, please.
Then things got weird.
“It is hard to run for governor. This is a tough state,” Christie said. “I couldn’t tell you whether she’s up for it or not because I wouldn’t know. She’s never done it.”
We get it… for a big guy, the Governor is notorious for having thin skin. I’ve seen it firsthand.
It’s nevertheless objectively strange criticism, in context, given that Kim Guadagno has (1) run TWICE state-wide on his ticket AND (2) spent a significant portion of Christie’s second term serving as ‘acting governor’ while the former presidential candidate campaigned out-of-state.
In 2015 alone? Guadagno was acting governor of New Jersey for approximately 2/3 of the calendar year.
If we add up the other years? 2016? 2014? I’m going to bet that Guadagno currently boasts more executive experience than most current U.S. governors, and that’s independent of her experience running Monmouth County’s Sheriff’s Department.
Another thing: by panning her performance, he’s also very much panning…. his own? By running with her twice? And leaving her in charge so often?
Or is he simply forgetting that he’s been MIA for most of the past couple of years?
I know, I know. We shouldn’t try to make sense of something that’s clearly personal.
Goofy and counter-productive though it may be, folks, you’re going to see more of this. I’ve been told it’s open warfare behind the scenes between Christie and Guadagno staffers, too, with the Christie folks leaving the LG off of official schedules and “big footing” her at events while Guadagno seems increasingly willing to bust her boss’s chops on the stump.
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