Christie Says GOP Must Reach Out
Patrick O'Connor and Heather Haddon, Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2013
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose profile as a potential White House candidate rose this month after his broad re-election victory, challenged fellow Republicans on Monday to expand their base of support beyond traditional constituencies.
“We have to reach out to other constituencies that have not voted for us in the past,” Mr. Christie told a crowd of chief executives at the annual Wall Street Journal CEO Council. “We can’t get the percentage of the Hispanic and the African-American vote that we got nationally and continue to think we can be a successful national party. We have to do better.”
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The Republican’s demographic-defying re-election in the Garden State this month — he captured large shares of women and minority voters, who often resist the GOP — sparked renewed speculation about his prospects for the 2016 presidential race. Mr. Christie didn’t give any direct signal of when he might decide about launching a campaign, but left little doubt that he is thinking about it.
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The governor heads to Scottsdale, Ariz., later this week to assume the chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association, a post that will allow him to travel the country stumping and raising money for other governors. The job will put him in close contact with some of the party’s biggest donors.
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[Editor’s Note: According to exit polls, Mr. Christie won 21 percent of the black vote and 51 percent of the Hispanic vote.]