WEST DES MOINES, IOWA — You may not think of Iowa when you think of Chris Christie. He’s at 2 percent and 3 percent in the polls, definitely worse than he doing is in New Hampshire. Also, his northeastern brusqueness isn’t seen as the best style for Midwest-Nice voters.
But he could do well in the February caucuses if the Iowa GOP establishment has any significant clout.
Longtime House Speaker Kraig Paulsen introduced Christie this morning at a gathering of rural electric cooperatives. No statewide Republicans have endorsed anyone, leaving Paulsen as probably the second-most prominent Iowa elected official (behind only Steve King) to have endorsed a candidate.
In addition to Paulsen, Christie has the backing of Ag-lobby honcho Bruce Rastetter and his crew of prominent Iowa Republican businessmen.
Why? Christie is a full-throated supporter of the ethanol mandate. His aggressive foreign policy and national security stances jive with GOP establishments nationwide. Also, he’s an impressive figure, particularly to businessmen.
While Christie is otherwise low in top GOP endorsements, the legislative leader in Des Moines and the biggest business leaders in the GOP create the possibility that Christie could have a decent operation in place across many Iowa counties come February. If Christie surges in the polls, which is possible, he could come within striking distance of a decent finish in Iowa. If the alternatives are Cruz and Trump, a large slice of the party might see Christie as the “reasonable” pick.
Timothy P. Carney, The Washington Examiner’s senior political columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]. His column appears Tuesday and Thursday nights on washingtonexaminer.com.
