Chris Christie has some advice for fellow Republicans: Stop spending so much time at Chamber of Commerce luncheons.
The New Jersey governor, seeking a foothold in the New Hampshire presidential primary next month, said the Republican party can only appeal to low-income and minority voters by going places party members are not comfortable.
Rather than hobnobbing with people who already support them, conservatives should visit African-American churches and Hispanic neighborhoods, Christie said. Once they get there, they shouldn’t spend their time laying out policy proposals. Instead, they should start off by listening, he argued.
“Our party has failed in going into those places because we’ve said we don’t get instant gratification back,” Christie said Saturday morning at a poverty forum hosted by the Jack Kemp Foundation.
Christie was sitting next to two presidential opponents, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and retired neursurgeon Ben Carson, at an event where they discussed education, drug abuse and other issues related to poverty in the U.S.
Near the end of the session, Sen. Tim Scott, moderating the event, asked the candidates to offer ideas for bringing conservative policy ideas to people who don’t typically vote Republican. The party struggles to appeal to many non-white, lower-income Americans.
“We need to be going into African American churches and barrios,” Christie said. “Don’t go with a 10-point plan. What they want is to be listened to. Listening is empowering.”
