What's next for Chris Christie?

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Now that the presidential election is in the books, all eyes in the state ... will be turning to the next big election. It’s all ours, it occurs in 2013, and it’s for the governor of New Jersey.

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And it all starts with the two stars of each party. Booker for the Democrats, Christie for the Republicans. Let’s start at the top with Christie. If the 2016 presidential primaries were today, he’d be the early favorite to nab the GOP nomination. But what if he ran for governor again, and lost? Then what?

"It would not help his 2016 cause if he lost the governor’s race,” said Ben Dworkin, the director of The Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.

No kidding, right? Which is why many political observers, and even many New Jersey politicians, privately think Christie might not run for re-election in 2013. He could easily stand at the podium, tell the citizens he did everything he set out to do, and ride off into the sunset — for six months. Then he could write a book, become a rainmaker, give speeches, appear on every political talk show, and run for president in 2016 as the de facto incumbent.

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One thing that could make it very difficult for Christie is a Cory Booker run.

Remember, New Jersey is a blue state. President Barack Obama got 58 percent of the vote last week in the Garden State, up from 56.8 percent in 2008. So it’s not like Christie, despite his popularity, is a shoo-in. Especially if he runs against the popular up-and-comer Booker. It’s a dream matchup. Shades of Ali-Frazier.

“Political observers salivate over a Christie-Booker showdown, but I’m sure each side might think there’s a bit to lose there,” Dworkin said. “Both Booker and Christie have similar problems, mainly they each have tremendous brand names and neither wants a loss on their record. There’s going to be a bit of a political dance the next few months. We need to see if Obama offers Booker an opportunity to serve in D.C, or maybe Obama will pressure Booker, encouraging him to run against Christie in an effort to knock off one of the strongest Republican candidates for president in 2016.

Really, right now, it seems like a game of chicken between the Christie and Booker camps. It really is like a prizefight. They each have a lot to lose, each have a lot to gain. If Christie wins, he really does become the man to beat for the Republicans in 2016. If Booker wins? Well, no reason this doesn’t catapult him to the Democrats short list for 2016.

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If I was betting on this, I would bet on a Christie-Booker battle. Both these guys seem like all-in types as it is, and while they both have a lot to lose, they both have a lot to gain. A Christie-Booker matchup would be the biggest New Jersey election fight in our lifetimes.

http://www.trentonian.com/article/20121111/OPINION03/121119998/chris-christie-vs-cory-boooker-political-dream#full_story

Edited November 19, 2012 by ^_^

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a buffet

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a buffet

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Oblivion. He did the right thing by taking care of his state, but he has no future as a Republican. Of course, no mid-Atlantic/New England Republican has won the Presidency since Calvin Coolidge.

Edited November 19, 2012 by The Patriot