Champagne wishes and caviar dreams are no longer in the head of our Gov. Christie. Last week, following a disappointing sixth place finish in the New Hampshire primary, Christie did what many thought was inevitable for quite awhile now — he suspended his bid for the presidency.
Four years ago, when Christie made it official that he would not seek the Republican nomination in the 2012 election opposite President Obama, it seemed as though our governor would, at the very least, be a leading candidate in 2016. But following the Bridgegate scandal and fights over the state’s pension, voters soured on him.
The surprising rise of Donald Trump, and others, was the final blow to Christie’s presidential aspirations.
He performed poorly in the Iowa caucuses, which wasn’t unexpected, but all along, he was banking his campaign on success in New Hampshire. When he finished with just 7 percent of the vote last week, good for sixth best among Republicans, the final nail was hammered in his coffin.
Now, Christie returns to New Jersey to assume his full-time duties of governor. That will be good for us –or will it?
Christie will serve out the remaining two years of his second term as a lameduck governor. Between now and 2017, with no further political ascension in sight, he will be forced to deal with a Legislature that has its sights set on policies that will reach far be-yond his term in office.
How much Christie will be able to accomplish in the remainder of his term, and just how much influence he can exert, is questionable, at best. Christie went for it all, and came up short. Now, he’s coming back home to pick up the pieces. Here’s to hoping he’ll be more humble in the coming years and think of New Jersey first.
