New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie criticized rival Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio for votes that the Florida senator missed while campaigning.
Both Christie and Rubio are stumping through Iowa, and the New Jersey governor took direct aim at Rubio’s record as a first-term senator. He specifically attacked Rubio for missing a vote on an end-of-the-year spending bill, and noted that senator’s opposition to the bill mattered as much as the governor’s opposition because neither voted.
“So I’m like this is great, Marco’s opposed to this. That’s good. So I can’t wait to turn on C-SPAN2 because he gives a good speech, Marco, and I want to hear his stirring speech that’s going to try to persuade people on the floor of the Senate not to vote for this awful spending bill — except he never showed up,” Christie said. “Dude, show up to work and vote no. Right, just show up to work and vote no. And like if you don’t want to, then quit.”
Christie has criticized other senators running for president for lacking the decision-making prowess that he purports to have demonstrated as governor. But Christie’s absence in New Jersey has raised eyebrows, too.
In July, Christie argued that his “first priority is I spend as much time in New Jersey as I absolutely have to, to be able to do my job the right way.” Little more than one month later, NJ.com reported that the governor “spent nearly 55 percent of the year outside of the state.”
While any presidential candidate holding elected office may encounter conflicts of whether to prioritize their campaign or their job, Rubio has come under mounting scrutiny from his GOP opponents. A super PAC supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign has just released a new ad attacking Rubio for his absences from the U.S. Senate.
Christie surpassed Rubio for third place in the Washington Examiner‘s newest GOP presidential power rankings, released on Tuesday.
