Chris Christie Calls Barack Obama To Congratulate Him, Emails Romney
Chris Christie picked up the phone to congratulate Barack Obama on his re-election victory, but when it came to sending condolences to Mitt Romney, the Republican governor of New Jersey gave a little less effort.
As The Huffington Post noted, Christie only sent an email to Romney, the GOP’s candidate who lost badly to Obama on Election Night.
“We didn’t have a political strategy discussion,” Chris Christie said of his Wednesday phone chat with Obama, Bloomberg reports. “I said, ‘Congratulations on your win last night, Mr. President,’ and he said, ‘Thank you.’ ”
Word of a rift between Chris Christie and Mitt Romney grew in the closing days of the campaign. As Hurricane Sandy pounded New Jersey, Christie was seen publicly thanking Barack Obama for his response to the disaster. Christie also skipped out on a campaign appearance for Mitt Romney, saying he only cared about helping the people of his state.
Chris Christie has become a favorite scapegoat in Romney’s loss to Obama, The Huffington Post noted. Many conservatives say that his public praise of Obama hurt Romney’s standing, shifting momentum to Obama in the final days of the campaign.
But this theory fails to explain why Romney underperformed in so many states with many different demographics.
Christie, for his part, says he was a wholehearted supporter of Romney and that his work with Obama during Hurricane Sandy recovery was not at all political.
“My activity with President Obama was just another chapter in the leadership I’ve tried to show in this state, which is people care more about getting things done than they care about partisanship,” Chris Christie said this week.
