At the back of the pack, Christie lingers in Iowa
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens to an audience member during a town hall Jan. 30 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Ten minutes down the road, Donald Trump was speaking to a crowd of more than a thousand people. But here inside the Quaker Steak & Lube, a chain restaurant just over the border from Nebraska, the audience for Chris Christie was decidedly smaller.
About 75 people, if that, sipped Bloody Marys, drank beer and ate greasy finger food as the New Jersey governor fielded questions at a town hall on the eve of Monday’s caucuses. Until recently, Christie has been a nonpresence in Iowa, focusing much of his campaign on New Hampshire, a state where he’s been received more warmly. But in the waning days of the Iowa campaign, Christie has stepped up his schedule here, holding town halls in all corners of the state.
It’s unclear why. Polls here show Christie has virtually no chance of winning. The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics survey out Saturday found the New Jersey governor with just 3 percent support among likely GOP caucus-goers, suggesting he doesn’t even have the momentum to place in the top three for a so-called “ticket” out of Iowa.
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So it was somewhat surprising to find Christie, dressed in a suit and tie, campaigning on Sunday afternoon inside this greasy bar and grill, where the empty skeletons of stock cars hang from the ceilings and photos of legendary NASCAR drivers line the walls. Standing just feet away from a 2-foot-long beer pitcher called a “Lube Tube,” the governor was his usual freewheeling, brash self, talking up the in-your-face leadership style that helped him win two terms as governor in a heavily Democratic state.
When his staff tried to cut off questions after more than an hour, Christie rebelled, joking that the rigors of running for president include getting used to young campaign aides bossing him around. “They tell you where to go and what to do every minute of the day,” Christie griped, getting a huge laugh from his audience. “The only place where I am free of the tyranny of the young is right here. Right here, it’s the only place of freedom!”
A Christie bumper sticker left behind on a table Jan. 31 at Quaker Steak & Lube. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
Though there were more than a few cars in the parking lot with campaign stickers advertising Trump or Ted Cruz, Christie seemed to win a few fans. At one point, a woman who had driven to the event from Nebraska told him she was worried about the state of the GOP campaign. “I want to vote for you,” she said. But would Christie even be in the race by the time Nebraska voters cast their ballots in May?
The governor briefly considered his answer, seeming to choose his words carefully. “We’re going to learn a lot tomorrow night about Iowans,” Christie said. “I don’t believe that Iowans are going to want to send the wrong kind of message. America’s going to be watching.”
Without naming his rival, Christie urged his audience to ignore pundits who suggest that if Trump wins Iowa Monday, the race is over. He pointed to the delegate requirement, reminding people that it will be “months” before a candidate officially clinches the nomination. It’s “make or break, do or die every night on the news,” Christie said. “No, it’s not. It’s over when someone gets enough delegates. … I’ll see you in Nebraska in May, don’t you worry.”
Christie ended his town hall with a somber story of meeting a couple a few days ago who were preparing to send their son to Iraq on his first deployment. The father had asked him if he was truly ready to be in the position of sending kids to war. Christie urged Iowans to consider that question as they prepared to head to caucus — was the person they were planning to support actually prepared to be commander in chief?
Patrons listens as Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie campaigns at Quaker Steak & Lube. (Photo: Khue Bui for Yahoo News)
“There are names on that ballot tomorrow night that it would be laughable to say that out loud,” Christie said. “Yet we have lots of people who are supporting those names.”
“This campaign has been entertaining,” he added. “It’s been entertaining for me to be a part of it. … But showtime is over, everybody. Showtime is over. This is not a reality TV show. … It’s game time. And when it’s game time, you want real players on the field, not showboats. You want real players. I am a real player.”
