It’s far too early to say whether the controversies swirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will prevent him from seriously competing for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
But Christie’s cascading difficulties underscore the shortage of good options for voters and donors in the party’s upscale managerial wing. It’s still a big if, but should the accusations besieging Christie undermine him as a 2016 contender, this wing of the GOP has few obvious alternatives. That dilemma captures a long-term shift in the Republican Party’s center of gravity toward its turbulent populist wing—whose confrontational champions (such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas) often frighten swing voters as much as they inspire activists. CONT.
Ron Brownstein, National Journal