Christie’s role as RGA chairman bestows power over GOP’s fate, and his own
November 20, 2013Jenna Portnoy | November 20, 2013 | The Star-Ledger
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Gov. Chris Christie arrived on the impeccably manicured grounds of the Phoenician Resort Tuesday with one stated goal for his term as chairman of the Republican Governors Association: To elect governors from his party.
But along with the resources to influence 36 governor’s races next year, Christie assumes the power to help shape the GOP’s future — and his own.
“There’s a perception that Republican governors are the future,” said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.
From Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, the outgoing RGA chairman and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Republican governors count among them a number of potential presidential hopefuls.
But, according to early polls of 2016 voters, Christie is at the top of the list.
