Once considered a top-tier candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential primary, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has seen his presidential ambitions shrink to little more than a pipe dream, and MSNBC’s much-mocked obsession with the George Washington Bridge traffic jam may be part of the reason.
It is looking increasingly unlikely that the Republican firebrand will run a successful campaign next year. That’s a big decline from what had been a lofty perch in the Republican Party. In 2012, Christie delivered a highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention. Now he is polling just ahead of reality television star Donald Trump, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey of self-identified Republicans.
The Republican governor’s decline in the polls coincided with a scandal involving allegations he used his office to snarl New York-bound traffic over the bridge from Fort Lee, N.J., as an act of retribution against the town’s mayor. Christie was later cleared of wrongdoing, but not before the scandal, dubbed “Bridgegate,” generated an enormous amount of media attention, especially from the left-leaning MSNBC.
MSNBC’s non-stop coverage became a running joke for critics. The network’s own Joe Scarborough denounced its coverage as “obsessive.” Bill Maher facetiously “broke up” with the struggling news network over its obsession with the scandal. CNN’s Don Lemon poked fun at MSNBC’s apparent belief that the scandal “has more than nine lives.” Former Obama adviser David Axelrod said being “pummeled” by host Rachel Maddow had actually helped Christie. Even the far-far-left Daily Kos declared, “MSNBC’s Christie Bridgegate Wall-to-Wall Media Coverage Shows Obsession.”
Long after it became clear that Christie would not face any charges over the traffic jam, MSNBC continued to work the story, and the network ran a new Bridgegate segment just last week.
But after all the ridicule, did MSNBC’s focus on Bridgegate contribute to Christie’s declining polling numbers?
Not entirely, Republican media strategist Rick Wilson told the Washington Examiner‘s media desk — but not entirely not.
Christie is mostly responsible for his own faded star, Wilson said, but the heavy, wall-to-wall coverage of “Bridgegate,” and the fact that it introduced many voters to the Image of Christie under fire, certainly didn’t help.
“When you’re under pressure, your character starts to show,” Wilson said. “And Chris Christie was under pressure. So the Chris Christie that yells at some woman at a town hall meeting – it’s cute the first time, but after awhile it just comes across as jerky.”
While the governor’s infamously pugnacious approach to criticism might have wore thin with allies and supporters anyway, Wilson explained that being regularly cast in a defensive position helped accelerate his decline in polls.
Many media watchers share Wilson’s view that MSNBC’s coverage of the scandal was “overblown.” But while Bridgegate has become a punchline for MSNBC critics, it is also clear that Christie’s numbers have plunged since the September 2013 traffic jam.
“The hot air remains, but the balloon is no longer aloft. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of several Republicans aspiring to be the 45th U.S. president, has been dealt a harsh verdict by his party’s electorate: He is no longer a viable candidate,” the Wall Street Journal reported this month.
“Presented with a list of 14 possible candidates for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, Republican primary voters placed Mr. Christie next to last,” it said. “Only Donald Trump…has united more Republicans in a negative way.”
Christie’s supporters still appear to be interested in making a go of it in 2016.
“He’s provided effective, conservative leadership in a deep blue state, bringing people together to solve difficult problems and get results. That’s exactly the kind of leadership we need in America today, and we hope he decides to run,” America Leads director and longtime Christie ally Phil Cox said. “I’ve established this Super PAC because it’s time for America to lead again, and I believe Gov. Christie is exactly the kind of strong leader we need at this critical point in our nation’s history.”
A Christie spokesman told the Examiner, “Polls are a moving target, so we really don’t comment on them as a rule.” The spokesman later referred the Examiner to Christie super PAC Leadership Matters for America, which did not respond to a request for comment.
“It wasn’t ‘Bridgegate’ entirely that killed his chances,” Wilson said. “What’s charming a couple of times on YouTube videos about town hall meetings here he smacks someone down, would be intemperate in the office of the president…Chris Christie’s appeal was always extraordinarily narrow inside the donor class. Regular conservatives were never going to fall in love with this guy. He’s from a blue state – a blue state governor – and there’s going to be too much stink in his record.”
MSNBC spokesperson Rachel Racusen, who was formerly and Obama administration representative, did not respond to the Examiner’s request for comment.
