Chris Christie compares Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio to Obama

DUBUQUE, Ia. — Back in Iowa for his final campaign push here, Chris Christie sharpened his attacks against rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, comparing the first-term senators to President Barack Obama.

“There is not a dime’s worth of difference between their preparation and Barack Obama’s,” Christie said.

While criticizing Obama, who was also a first-term senator when elected president, Christie redirected the insult toward his Republican opponents, questioning their experience.

Obama "basically was like Rubio and Cruz. He was a drive-by senator,” Christie said. “From the minute they took an oath in the Senate, they were already opening up a presidential campaign committee.”

The two-hour town hall kicked off Christie's six-day campaign trip leading up to Monday's caucuses. Trying to highlight his experience as New Jersey governor and U.S. prosecutor, Christie told the crowd to vote for a candidate based on their readiness for the White House rather than their philosophies.

Christie also took aim at Donald Trump over Trump's decision to skip Thursday's Republican debate due to a tiff with Fox News. Without mentioning Trump by name, Christie said pulling out of a debate because you think it is unfair is "like a 13-year-old’s argument.”

Travis Klinefelter, a nurse from Dubuque, supports Trump but said Christie is his second-favorite candidate. He likes that both are plainspoken and generally unscripted.

Klinefelter said he has seen Rubio, Cruz and neurosurgeon Ben Carson talk in person and did not care for their style.

“Here, there is energy and passion,” he said of Christie’s town hall. “The other ones, it just seems like they might as well be taking Obama’s teleprompter.”

AT THE EVENT

SETTING: Courtside, a large sports bar and volleyball gym in Dubuque. 

CROWD: About 200 people seated in the cavernous bar. 

REACTION: The crowd mostly listened quietly. One of the loudest rounds of applause came when Christie said the first job of Republican voters is to elect someone who "will make sure Hillary Clinton does not get within 10 miles of the White House."

WHAT'S NEXT: Christie is scheduled to be in Iowa until Monday. He has no events scheduled Thursday and will be preparing for the Republican debate. He has 10 town halls and two rallies scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.