Florida Sen. Marco Rubio remains the favorite candidate among the Republican establishment for the presidential nomination, but rival Chris Christie could rise to that position, Bill Kristol told
Newsmax TV on Wednesday.
"Presumably, there's some chunk of the Republican Party," The Weekly Standard editor told "The Steve Malzberg Show" in an interview, "maybe it's 30 percent who don't want Trump and don't want Cruz.
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"Cruz is too conservative. Trump is just too much of a wild card and an outsider. They're going to be for someone."
That insider candidate would most likely emerge after the Super Tuesday contests on March 1, in which 12 states will hold primaries or caucuses, Kristol said.
"They will come down to rallying behind one of those so-called establishment candidates. So could Christie be one of them? Yes, does he have a better chance than [Jeb] Bush and [John] Kasich? I would say yes.
"Rubio, right now, I'd have to put a little ahead of Christie in that intra-establishment primary.
"Now, could an establishment guy win the nomination? I wouldn't bet on that this year. Trump or Cruz could beat them."
As for the New Jersey governor, "the odds are against Christie winning the nomination," Kristol said, "but he has a shot to be the establishment alternative to Trump and Cruz."
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