He's a Republican in a hugely Democrat state who stands on the precipice of a giant victory at the polls tomorrow.
How did this happen?
How did he get to this point?
He did he do it?
Surely, it can't simply be luck. It also defies all logic. It would seem that it's simply not in the cards; the deck would seem to be stacked against him.
But Chris Christie doesn't pay much attention to the odds. In fact, he likes long odds. He seems to thrive on it. He's an odds-defier and a rule-breaker.
This is what you need to remember: To Chris Christie politics is all about feelings; as he describes it "it's a visceral reaction to someone." And we saw this today when we spent some time with Governor Christie in Burlington, an old town along the Delaware River in South Jersey. We spoke to many registered Democrats who turned out to see the Governor and who were excited about getting the chance to meet him. One older woman told us she had never voted for a Republican in her life. Why is she voting for Chris Christie? "I like him," she said. "He's different, he gets the job done."
The Mayor of Burlington, Dr. James Fazzone is a Democrat but he has endorsed Chris Christie. He's one of more than 50 elected Democrat officials who have endorsed the governor. “Politics is really about relationships,” Fazzone has said. “I, along with all the mayors in the state of New Jersey, had an opportunity to develop a relationship with the governor during Hurricane Sandy.” And Fazzone liked the way Christie worked across party lines to help people.
Here's the thing: Chris Christie makes personal links with people.
This was evident to us from the beginning when we first met Chris Christie nearly five years ago. He looks you in the eye. He listens to you. He cares. If he can help, he will. And if he can't, he'll tell you that he can't and he'll tell you why he can't. He levels with people. No BS.
One Burlington resident who came out to greet Christie today told us: "I know he'll say exactly where he stands. I like that about him."
A man from Massachusetts happened to be visiting in the area and came out to meet Christie. Knowing that Christie is a big Mets fan, this man brought along a signed poster of Mets legend David Wright for the Governor. He couldn't wait to gift the Gov.
A large crowd turned out to welcome the governor in Burlington but Christie had time for each and every person. We continue to marvel at Governor Christie's attentiveness, his kind, personable manner, his patience and the links that he makes with thousands of ordinary people.
When you meet him and you see him up close you discover a very warm, engaging person. He's not looking for an argument. But if you try to give him an argument, don't expect him to roll over. He'll give as good as he gets.
We commended him today on his new, more trimmed-down look. He looks great and is very upbeat. He told us he feels very good about tomorrow and is looking forward to a Big Night tomorrow night.
He joked that there is no time for rest right now. He's still campaigning full throttle -- right up to the end.
His last two stops today will be in his home county at Morris Plains and then in Union City, Hudson County with New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez.
It's been grueling this past week but Governor Christie seems to thrive on it. He gains tremendous energy from ordinary people. He loves the people of New Jersey.
He's the new master of retail politics.
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| An hour before Governor Christie's arrival people had already begun congregating. |
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| As he stepped off the bus he could see that the crowd was four and five people deep. |
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| Trimmer, and looking great, he was upbeat and personable, as always. |
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| Forget about the guy on the left. This is an updated photo to showcase the Gov's new look. |
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