Jeb Bush and Chris Christie have a lot riding on New Hampshire. Both of their campaigns need to finish in at least 3rd place to keep their flailing chances alive, especially Christie. He was endorsed by the paper of record there by Joe McQuaid, in hopes of knocking off the extreme right wingers like Rubio, Cruz and the bombastic Trump.
But now it appears Rubio is slowly climbing in the granite state which would signal the end for him and Bush. In an effort to knock back Rubio, both Christie and Bush are teaming up in an unlikely fashion to tag team the Florida Senator.
Frustrated and flailing as his candidacy threatens to slip away, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is embarking on a scalding effort over the next week to discredit Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the man he blames for undermining his campaign and whose ascendancy he deeply resents.And Mr. Christie has a secret ally: Jeb Bush.
Mr. Christie, whose White House hopes hinge on a strong showing in New Hampshire, is unleashing the kind of cutting and personal attacks that brought him renown in New Jersey but that pose a far greater risk in a presidential campaign, where they can harm the assailant as much as the intended target.Over the past 48 hours, Mr. Christie has mocked Mr. Rubio as a cosseted “boy in the bubble,” derided him as “constantly scripted,” likened him to “the king of England,” and, perhaps most creatively, compared his Senate career to that of a helpless fourth grader who is told which chair to sit in at school.
On Wednesday, Mr. Christie challenged anyone “to show me the significant accomplishment that Senator Rubio has done while he’s in the United States Senate.”
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During a CNN interview on Wednesday, Mr. Bush put their bond on display for all to see. “I love Chris Christie,” said Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida. “He is a — he’s a great campaigner, he’s a good friend and he’s been an effective governor.”
With the newest daily tracking poll released, it appears Rubio is capitalizing on his third place finish in Iowa:
Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio on Thursday vaulted into second place in a daily tracking poll, but he still trails front-runner Donald Trump by double digits in the New Hampshire primary.
The real estate mogul leads the GOP field, with 36 percent support, according to the WHDH/UMass Lowell poll, followed by the Florida senator, with 15 percent support; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), with 14 percent support; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with 8 percent support; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, with 7 percent support.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie places sixth in the state, with 5 percent support, followed by retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson, at 4 percent support, and business executive Carly Fiorina, at 3 percent support.
It's kind of sad to see these guys fighting, not to win the primary, but to finish third. Let's just say calling Rubio a bubble boy isn't going to cut it and unless Christie and Bush catch hail Mary passes, they may be done a week from now in the 2016 GOP presidential primaries.
