Chris Christie Faces Long Odds in Bid for US Presidency

Experts claim that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a difficult task in his campaign to become the next President of the United States because of his tarnished reputation as a state governor.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Thomas Zimmer — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a difficult task in his campaign to become the next President of the United States because of his tarnished reputation as a state governor, experts told Sputnik.

“My assumption is that Christie is now a long shot,” State University of New York at Buffalo Political Science Professor Frank Zagare said on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Christie announced his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Zagare said Christie carries the embarrassment of the September 2013 “Bridgegate” scandal, when his state government was involved in purposely causing traffic jams to punish political opponents by closing lanes at the toll plaza to the George Washington Bridge.

Moreover, Zagare noted New Jersey’s bond rating had fallen several times during Christie’s time as governor damaging his reputation for managerial competence and fiscal responsibility.

Christie was also suffering from low approval ratings among voters in his own state, the analyst said.

The New Jersey Governor has no hope at all of winning the presidential nomination, Colgate University Assistant Political Science Professor Daniel Epstein told Sputnik.

“I think Chris Christie's moment has come and gone in politics,” Epstein said.

The expert noted that Christie’s greatest assets were that he has governed a blue Democratic state and was “direct” and “brash” — traits that usually appealed to Republican voters.

However, Epstein explained that Christie’s chances had been damaged by revelations that he had attempted to balance New Jersey’s financial books by underfunding its pension system.

Epstein compared Christie to other weak candidates like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and former US Senator Rick Santorum, calling them “vulture” figures because they hoped to benefit or feed off stumbles by more favored frontrunners.

However, Christie could still have a chance if he gets enough momentum to put up a fight against other moderate Republican candidates, University of Kansas Political Science Department Chairperson Don Haider-Markel told Sputnik.

“If Christie can get a top three showing in New Hampshire, he might have enough momentum to put up a fight against other ‘moderates’ in the race and his style and personality can set him apart from other leaders in the pack,” Haider-Markel said.

In May 2014, Christie cut pension payments in New Jersey by $2.4 billion, abandoning his previous pension-fund plan, unleashing lawsuits against his state’s administration.