The Christie Tracker

Latest Episodes:

The Rose-Colored Campaign Glasses of Mike DuHaime Aug 19, 2015

Show notes

With Mike DuHaime the ballot box is never half-empty.

While much of the media has been posting death notices for the Chris Christie campaign, Mike DuHaime, Chief Strategist for his presidential run, joins us to offer a different view. As New Jersey Public Radio’s Matt Katz puts it, he is “the guy you want to talk to if you’re on your death bed - he’s extremely optimistic.”

But Mike DuHaime has been down before.

While pundits salivate over Donald Trump’s surge in the polls and Jeb Bush’s massive campaign war chest, DuHaime finds hope in recent New Jersey history. Speaking with Christie Tracker Podcast host, David Furst he says, “It is not the candidate with the most money that always wins. In Governor Christie’s own experience running against John Corzine in New Jersey in 2009, we got outspent 3-1 – as a challenger in a very deep blue state. And we still won. Because he was the better candidate.”

Mike DuHaime takes questions from Matt Katz and David Furst on the current state of the campaign.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Policy and Combat Boots: Christie is Christie in First Televised Debate Aug 07, 2015

Show notes

It was a crowded stage of ten hopeful Republican candidates. But after the dust settled, Christie found a way to stand out from the pack.

New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz and Tom Wilson, former Chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee say Christie's presentation of policy ideas and his willingness to mix-it-up helped distinguish the governor in the first televised debate of the Republican primary season. Matt and Tom join host David Furst for a post-debate special edition of the podcast.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

What we Know About Christie's Biggest Super PAC Donors Aug 05, 2015

Show notes

This week, we learned about the $11 million raised by America Leads, the super PAC supporting Christie.

We also found out who's been forking over all that cash.

New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz joins Host David Furst for a look at several donors with close business ties to the state.

New Jersey has pay-to-play restrictions that are designed to prevent businesses from currying favors with the governor. But here’s the catch: they don’t apply to federal elections.

Matt Katz says, "You have the state of New Jersey, which is essentially a $30 billion annual business and you have companies that rely on a piece of that money for their very existence. They want to give money in order to get into the rooms with these political power players and they're not allowed to do that if it’s a state-wide race. But here’s a way that they can do that."

Also this week:

Christie calls it, "One of the best books I've read." We speak with Ken Adelman, the author of a book the governor mentions every chance he gets – Reagan at Reykjavik: Forty-Eight Hours That Ended the Cold War.

Plus, The Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran joins us with a perspective on Christie’s foreign policy credentials.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Christie Telling It Like It Is: One Vote at a Time Jul 29, 2015

Show notes

"I like Governor Christie."

"He tells it like it is and he seems like a regular person... he just appeals to me."

"I'm so fascinated with Chris Christie and everything he's doing... he speaks from the heart – everything he says is just 100% genuine."

"He seems... like he would actually protect our country – I would feel safe with him being a president. What I'm looking for in a president is to feel safe."

The voices of New Hampshire residents at Christie town hall events seem to fly in the face of his dismal polling results – stark numbers that tell a very different story. And a new Monmouth University poll says Donald Trump is taking more potential voters away from Christie than the other candidates.

Still, WNYC's Matt Katz says without attending a town hall it's impossible "to appreciate the positive and emotional reaction people have to him" in New Hampshire.

Matt was with the governor on his latest trip to The Granite State and joins host David Furst to report on Christie’s reception.

Also this week: Thanks to overhead wire issues and power problems, NJ Transit and Amtrak riders dealt with days of delays getting to and from Manhattan. WNYC's Andrea Bernstein joins us to explain how Sandy, Bridgegate and a scrapped tunnel project all come together to contribute to the region's latest transit woes.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Christie Temporarily Trumped Jul 22, 2015

Show notes

Trump?

There’s so much about the primary that isn’t going Christie's way. But he certainly didn’t expect to suddenly be the mild, more-restrained candidate in the race.

This week, New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz and Paul Mulshine, conservative columnist for the Star-Ledger, join us to talk about what Donald Trump's ascendency means for the Christie campaign.

With Trump generating so much attention, Matt says Christie has been 'totally outshined.' He says Christie's 'Tell It Like It Is' brand doesn’t make sense 'when someone else is saying stuff that's even more outrageous.' He adds that Trump 'makes Christie look like the absolute cookie-cutter politician – the opposite of the perception that Christie has cultivated on the national scene for all these years.'

Also: Christie was back in South Carolina this week. Host David Furst is joined by South Carolina Republican strategist Chip Felkel, and Deborah Streetman, president of the Charleston County Republican Women. They check in to tell us how Christie is being received in the key primary state.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Dear Gov. Christie: Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry Jul 15, 2015

Show notes

Gov. Chris Christie wants the media to apologize for their Bridgegate coverage. So we called reporters. The only person we could find to say he's "sorry" is Bob Garfield of On the Media. On the way to his apology, he places Christie among a long line of Republicans who have used the media to curry public opinion.

We also speak with New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz and Tom Moran, editorial page editor of the Star Ledger, who tells us about a man who found himself in a Christie presidential campaign ad, and he's not sure he wants to vote for him.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Jersey in the Rear View Jul 08, 2015

Show notes

Governor Christie announced he was officially running for president last week then immediately hit the road.

He continued his never-ending tour of New Hampshire. He blanketed the airwaves - making appearances on NBC, CBS, Fox News and MSNBC.

One place where we’re NOT seeing him much is New Jersey. So what happens to that state now that Christie is really running?

New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz says, "There's just simply a lot less governing going on."

Also on this week's show, host David Furst speaks with Patrick Murray, Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. The latest Monmouth University poll says a majority of New Jersey residents think Christie should resign now that he’s running for president.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Christie: 'I Am Now Ready' Jul 01, 2015

Show notes

It was the least suspenseful cliffhanger in the history of cliffs.

Governor Christie has, essentially, been running for higher office for years. But now he is, officially, a presidential candidate.

This week, we head to Livingston High School for analysis on the announcement from New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz and the Star-Ledger's Tom Moran.

We're also joined by Robert Costa, national political reporter for the Washington Post. He’s seen a few national campaign launches and provides some context. He tells host David Furst that Christie's speech was 'a big moment for people in New Jersey. But (I'm) not so sure how many Republicans nationally are paying close attention.'

He adds, 'It's not so much a policy campaign... this is about the force of a persona.'

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.

Chris Christie's Gun Problem Jun 24, 2015

Show notes

Governor Christie's record on guns was already facing heavy scrutiny before the events of June 17th, when nine people were shot and killed in the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

In early June, Governor Christie traveled to South Carolina where he tried to gain credibility with the gun rights crowd - claiming that no new gun laws were made in New Jersey since he became governor. And in New Jersey he recently pardoned two people for illegally transporting guns in the state. Sounds like a guy big on the Second Amendment. But dig a little deeper and his track record tells a more complicated story.

Olivia Nuzzi who covers politics for The Daily Beast and New Jersey Public Radio’s Matt Katz join host David Furst to help explain the Governor's gun politics.

Also this week: we learned that Cami Anderson, the controversial superintendent of the Newark public school system, will be leaving on July 8th. Governor Christie also announced that three of his cabinet members will be leaving within the next few weeks. We’ll talk about the changes with the Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran.

Check out the WNYC Data News App: The Christie Tracker.