Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed Republican Rhode Island hopeful Allan Fung in the race for the state’s 2nd Congressional District on Monday.
Christie brought his big personality to the country’s smallest state Monday to stump for Fung during Columbus Day festivities in Providence and touted Fung as a model for the Republican Party and the country more broadly.
REPUBLICAN ALLAN FUNG LEADS DEMOCRAT IN DEEP-BLUE RHODE ISLAND DISTRICT: POLL
“We need more people like Allan Fung in Congress,” Christie told ABC 6 News. “People who are smart, who vote their principles, and will work across the aisle.”
“I want someone who’s going to go down there and listen to the other side, and try to find some common ground,” the former governor added.
Christie visiting Johnston in support of @AllanFungRI’s first run for governor, on this day in 2014 pic.twitter.com/DWBFAOlO3H
— Ian Donnis (@IanDon) October 10, 2022
Christie joins a growing list of national Republicans eyeing the Ocean State congressional contest. Last month, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker headlined a fundraiser for Fung. The Congressional Leadership Fund, which is aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), reportedly plans to pour upward of $1 million into the race in hopes of eking out an upset victory.
District 2 has historically been a Democratic stronghold. President Joe Biden won the district by double digits in 2020, but Fung has managed to poll strongly against his Democratic rival Seth Magaziner in the congressional contest. A recent poll, which had a large margin of error of plus or minus 6.2 percentage points, found Fung edging out Magaziner by 6 points.
The seat is held by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), and as the former mayor of Cranston, the second-largest city in the state, Fung brings ample name recognition into the race. Magaziner currently serves as the state treasurer.
Magaziner’s team was quick to return fire following Christie’s stump for Fung, deploying their typical go-to attack line with Fung, seeking to caricature him as catering to extremist Republicans.
“If Allan Fung is palling around with extreme Republicans like Chris Christie who wants to cut Social Security and ban abortion, imagine who he will tie himself to in Congress,” said Magaziner’s communications director Patricia Socarras.
“Rhode Islanders cannot risk sending Allan Fung to Congress when he has repeatedly shown he supports the most extreme elements of his party,” she added.
Christie previously backed Fung in a 2014 race in which Fung unsuccessfully vied for governor against Gina Raimondo.
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Christie revealed that he is mulling a 2024 campaign for the presidency during an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday. He also threw shade at former President Donald Trump, with whom relations appear to have frayed.
“The problem with the Republican Party is we’ve done a lot of losing lately. Since 2016, we lost the House, we lost the Senate, we lost the White House, we lost two winnable Senate seats in the state of Georgia. I’m tired of losing,” Christie said.
