Christie courting voters who want to elect a governor

FORT DODGE, Ia. — Chris Christie threw more jabs at senators Saturday, continuing to make his case for sending a governor, like himself, to the White House.

“First-term United States senators are wonderful people but they have never made a serious decision of consequence and been held accountable for it in their lives,” he said during a town hall meeting at a bar in Ames.

“Go through the list of great presidents,” he said later at town hall in Fort Dodge. “Many many of them, especially in the 20th century, have the experience of being governor.”

Such lines are connecting with Christie's audiences in Iowa. Many Republicans interviewed at his events say they want to elect a governor to the Oval Office rather than a member of Congress.

“I tend to favor governors, generally, because of the executive experience,” said Bob Wilson, an Urbandale retiree and Army veteran who talked to Christie Saturday at the Machine Shed, a restaurant in Urbandale. “He has demonstrated an ability to work across the aisle. We certainly don’t have that in Washington, D.C,. today.”

Winning over the pro-governor crowd is appears to be a key part of Christie’s strategy in Iowa. The New Jersey governor and Republican presidential contender told The Des Moines Register editorial board Friday he won’t win the Iowa caucuses, but he wants to beat all current and former governors in the race.

In the latest Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa poll released Jan. 13, Christie was tied for seventh place with retired Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 3 percent.

To win the race among governors, Christie would need to pass Huckabee and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was in fifth place in the poll with 4 percent, and hold off Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who was tied for ninth with 2 percent of the vote.

Candidates leading Christie in Iowa include a trio of first-term senators: Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

At his town halls in Iowa, Christie regularly tries to draw a comparison between those senators and President Barack Obama, who was a first-term senator when elected to the White House.

“You want to vote for another first-term United States senator again after watching the last seven years with a ring-side seat?” he said in Fort Dodge. “OK. But don’t expect a different result.”

Gregg Kraemer, a Fort Dodge retiree who is considering caucusing for Christie, Rubio or Donald Trump, said experience as a governor is not his top criteria, but Christie made a good case.

“I like that he is a governor because he has to make decisions,” Kraemer said. “I think he is right: He says senators, all they have to do is talk and talk and they don’t have to make a decision.”

AT THE EVENTS

SETTINGS: The Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, Brick City Grill in Ames, Olde Boston’s Restaurant and Pub in Fort Dodge

CROWD: Christie walked around the Machine Shed and talked to people while they ate breakfast. At Brick City, more than 200 people packed into the restaurant shoulder-to-shoulder to listen to Christie’s town hall. About 150 people listened to his town hall in Fort Dodge.

REACTION: One of the biggest laughs came as Christie lamented the cost of his daughter’s tuition at Notre Dame. Just as he said the average annual cost was about $62,000 there was a load clang from someone in the audience knocking over a glass.  

“Exactly!” Christie quipped. “That’s exactly what I do when that happens.”

WHAT'S NEXT: Christie is scheduled to attend three events Sunday, including a meet-and-greet in Milford and town halls in Le Mars and Sioux City.