New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie intends to announce his plans for 2016 on Tuesday, but his decision will likely come as no surprise. Christie launched a campaign website on Saturday, and released a video titled “Telling It Like It Is” on Sunday.
The weekend rollout appears to be Christie’s attempt to introduce himself to voters in advance of his announcement later this week. The video focuses on Christie’s background, but fails to mention his home, New Jersey, or political affiliation to the Republican Party. Instead, he talked about how his mother instilled a moral compass in him, and how she would want him to speak plainly to voters.
“I get accused a lot of times of being too blunt, and too direct, and saying what’s on my mind just a little bit too loudly,” Christie said in the video. “I know if my mom were still alive, she would say to me, “I taught you that in a trusting relationship, you don’t hold anything back. And if you’re going to run for president of the United States, and you’re going to ask these people for their vote that is the single most trusting thing they can do as a citizen, is to give you their support, so you better tell them exactly what you’re thinking and exactly what you’re feeling.”
The video is set to an instrumental guitar track that sounds similar to music made famous by “Friday Night Lights,” a movie and television series about high school football. Christie intends to make his decision known at Livingston High School in New Jersey, where he graduated in 1980. Christie served as class president and played catcher on his high school’s championship baseball team.
The locations candidates’ have chosen to make their announcements often reveals something about their campaigns. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced while surrounded by U.S. Navy SEALs in front of a C-130, while Sen. Ted Cruz made his announcement at Liberty University, a large evangelical Christian school. Perry is one of two military veterans running for higher office in the GOP field, while Cruz is a favorite among many social conservatives. Christie’s focus on his upbringing and relationship with his mother have become a hallmark of his early stump speech on his nationwide tour in advance of his announcement.
The more recent past has been less than kind to Christie. The governor faces a federal prosecution and retains the approval of just 30 percent of his home state’s voters. He often emphasizes his electoral success, however, having won 51 percent of Hispanic voters in New Jersey during his re-election, and has talked about his ability to “develop a coalition that could change the course of history.” Christie’s entrance may have gotten a warmer reception during the last election cycle before he embraced President Obama after Hurricane Sandy. Now, he has the support of approximately 4 percent of Republican primary voters, according to RealClearPolitics average of polls. Seven candidates poll better than Christie in RCP’s average, including Donald Trump.
