New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will travel to Iowa next week to campaign for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
As the Iowa caucuses approach, the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign team is hoping that Christie can help bolster support among Iowa conservatives.
Mr. Christie has been one of Romney’s biggest supporters, announcing his endorsement of Mr. Romney in October after stating that he would not be running for president himself. The New Jersey Republican’s trip to Iowa is a signal that Romney’s campaign team is looking to compete with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has surpassed him in recent polls.
In a November 10-12th Bloomberg News poll of Iowa voters, Mr. Romney finished in a statistical tie with candidates Gingrich, pizza magnate Herman Cain and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tx). Since then, Mr. Christie has stepped up his attacks on President Barack Obama in courting more voters for Romney.
“Let’s let the president and his henchmen keep doing it,” Mr. Christie said in an Orlando press conference, POLITICO reports. He was referring to the Democratic National Committee’s advertisement released Monday entitled “Mitt vs Mitt,” contrasting Mr. Romney’s policy views while governor of Massachusetts, versus statements that he’s made during his 2012 campaign.
“That shows he’s the person they’re most afraid of. And that’s good news for us from a political perspective,” Mr. Christie added.
Minnesota Gov. Mitch Daniels downplayed the importance of Mr. Christie’s enthusiastic endorsement of Romney, after announcing Tuesday that he would not be endorsing any of the Republican candidates. Both Daniels and Christie were rumored to be making a run for the Republican nomination earlier this year.
“An incredibly well-respected person, Governor Christie, made an endorsement a couple weeks ago, and it sort of sank without a trace,” Mr. Daniels said.
Mr. Christie will travel to Polk County, Iowa on December 7th to give a speech to Romney supporters, less than three weeks prior to the Iowa caucuses.
