With the hopes of saving their compromised presidential candidacies, Govs. Chris Christie and Jeb Bush are cozying up to each other over the next week in an effort to discredit Sen. Marco Rubio,
The New York Times reports.
Christie, who is relying on a strong showing in New Hampshire is unleashing new cutting and personal attacks against the Florida senator, a man he credits for undermining his campaign.
In the last 48 hours Christie has slammed Rubio as the "boy in the bubble," "constantly scripted," "The king of England," as well as compared his Senate career to that of a "helpless fourth grader who is told which chair to sit in at school."
"Show me the significant accomplishment that Sen. Rubio has done while he's in the United States Senate," Christie challenged. "I can't find one."
But, the Times warns that while such jabs may have helped Christie win the governorship of New Jersey, a presidential election is a whole different ballgame and could back fire by hurting the assailant rather than the intended individual.
Leading up to Saturday's GOP debate on ABC and the primaries in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Bush also shared his concern with emerging candidate Rubio and according to the Times "has even prompted the opening of a back channel: Members of the Bush and Christie campaigns have communicated about their mutual desire to halt Mr. Rubio's rise in the polls," according to Republican operatives familiar with the conversations.
While there is no formal agenda between the two governors, an adviser to Christie noted that the two candidates have "similar goals" and Bush was heard on CNN Wednesday expressing his bond with the New Jersey Governor.
"I Love Christie," Bush said. "He is a — he's a great campaigner, he's a good friend and he's been an effective governor."
To justify Christie and Bush staying in the race, operatives noted forming a Christie-Bush alliance "makes sense."
"A strong primary night in New Hampshire for Mr. Rubio would allow him to make a compelling case to voters and donors that he is the surest bet for unifying the party against its most divisive presidential contenders, Donald J. Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas," The New York Times reports.
As Christie and Bush have put their relationship on display over the last couple of days by exchanging phone calls and emails, Christie's big questions remains: "How does that [the Senate] train you to be president? … that's not the way the presidency works, and it is certainly not the way the governorship works," Christie said.
And, showing his betrayal by Rubio, Christie added, "So he's got a couple of donors … Good for him."
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