Christie heads for home to reassess his campaign

By Nick Corasaniti, New York Times News Service

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 | 1:01 a.m.

After a disappointing sixth-place finish in the state upon which he had staked his presidential bid, Gov. Chris Christie is heading home to New Jersey on Wednesday to weigh his options for the future of his campaign.

The governor had originally planned to fly to South Carolina to attend a forum, saying Tuesday morning that he had already booked a plane ticket. But his showing led him to change his plans as the vote totals came in Tuesday night.

“We’re going to go home to New Jersey tomorrow, and we’re going to take a deep breath,” he told supporters, adding that he and his family “will make a decision on our next step forward based on the results that come in here in New Hampshire.”

Christie spoke in a solemn tone, and his wife, Mary Pat, at one point wiped her eyes. But true to his campaign slogan of “telling it like it is,” Christie spoke pragmatically about his situation.

“I have won elections that I was supposed to lose, and I lost elections that I was supposed to win,” he said.

He added: “It means you never know. It’s both the magic and the mystery of politics.”

It had always been New Hampshire or bust for Christie, who banked his entire candidacy on a strong showing in the state, right from his first town hall in Hooksett the day he announced his candidacy in June. Since then, he has spent 72 days in the state, held more than 100 events and 80 town halls and locked up the endorsement of the largest newspaper in the state, the New Hampshire Union Leader.

The New Jersey governor faced a difficult road ahead in a primary race that turns quickly southward, where he is not as popular or well-known.

Polling in the low single digits in South Carolina, the next state to hold a primary, Christie could find himself in a similar situation as he did in Iowa, with evangelical Christians and more conservative voters flocking to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Donald Trump, and a strong field of more moderate candidates who performed better than he did in New Hampshire.

And Christie will not qualify for the next Republican debate, held in South Carolina, which would have offered him free media coverage and a chance to try to regain some momentum. Speaking in a solemn voice to his downcast supporters Tuesday night, he thanked “our New Hampshire family” and, with a deep look in his eyes, said goodbye.

“We leave New Hampshire tonight without an ounce of regret,” Christie said. “Not for the time we spent or for the thousands of people tonight in New Hampshire tonight who will have voted for us. We thank each and every one of them.”