Paying off...

Christie's New Hampshire focus begins to pay dividends

After 49 visits, 36 town halls and more than 112 events, the New Jersey governor is finally seeing a return on his early-state investment.

By Daniel Strauss

The all-in-on-New Hampshire strategy might be finally paying off for Chris Christie.

The New Jersey governor, whose inability to gain traction in the presidential campaign has left him mired in single digits in national polls, is beginning to see a return on his considerable investment of time and energy in the first-primary-in-the-nation state.

For months, Christie has poured whatever resources he could muster into New Hampshire, visiting on an almost weekly basis. As of Monday, the governor had visited the state 49 times, hosted 36 official town halls and held more than 112 events there. He's also made a habit of repeatedly texting and calling potential supporters — and following up — in an attempt to win them over. Even supporters of rival candidates concede those dogged efforts have left a good impression.

In recent days, he's won a front-page endorsement from the state's largest newspaper, the New Hampshire Union Leader, and support from several coveted New Hampshire activists as well — most notably the influential Renee and Dan Plummer. While Christie is still buried in the middle of the pack in state polls, the latest surveys have shown a slight uptick over his mid-October numbers.

Former state House Speaker Donna Sytek, like many former and current GOP state legislators, said Christie's many text messages and phone calls eventually won her over as she winnowed her list of potential 2016 candidates.

"Part of it was I was very fond of a couple of other candidates and wanted to give them a chance to win my heart but it was just my own personal process that brought me to the point that I wanted to endorse him," said Sytek, who is set to formally endorse Christie on Tuesday. "The fact that the Paris terrorism attacks happened just reinforced my respect for his ability to be a leader and be a plain talker at a time when leadership was needed."

Christie's campaign recognizes there's still a long climb ahead to get into contention but insists that with more than two months to go before the primary there's still time for that.

"Campaigning the 'New Hampshire way' by directly engaging voters in dozens of town hall meetings and answering every question has been a key factor in growing support," Christie Communications Director Sam Smith said in an email on Monday.

America Leads, the super PAC supporting Christie, plans to incorporate the Union Leader endorsement as a "major part" of its advertising going forward, according to people familiar with the organization's strategy.

In any case, after months of languishing at the back of the pack — the governor failed to make the last GOP prime-time debate stage because his polling numbers were too low — Christie's camp is keeping its expectations in check.

"More than anything, this endorsement gives the governor a serious second look nationally," a Christie adviser said of the Sytek and Plummer endorsements. "We aren't saying that this means we're going to win New Hampshire, but it does means Christie is a real, viable contender in this race right now. The governor's hard work over the last few months showing up in front of voters started to pay off with his favorables turning right-side up, ballot moving from 2 to 8 percent and now this. In a crowded field with limited oxygen, this puts Christie in the middle of the narrative."

Even Republicans backing other candidates acknowledge that Christie seems to have turned a corner in a state that is critical to his fate. Tom Eaton, a former New Hampshire state Senate president who endorsed Carly Fiorina after hosting a number of candidates at his lake house over the summer, acknowledged that Christie is starting to capture the attention of New Hampshire voters and activists.

"I think Christie's making a track in New Hampshire and people are listening to him," Eaton said. Christie, Eaton continued, has smartly tried to gain incremental support in the state while Donald Trump and Ben Carson took up most of the oxygen over the past few weeks.

"Gov. Christie has just towed the line and talked very straight about what he would do and how he would do it. And I think after some of the world happenings people are starting to take a look and realize that he would be a very good, strong leader also," Eaton said.

Even after Eaton made clear he was sticking with Fiorina, the New Jersey governor continued to stay in contact with him, sending him a text message on Sunday that read "Tom—Good morning. Have had a few good days in NH. Hope all is well with you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. All the best, Chris Christie."

The attention to detail is much appreciated in a small state where retail politicking is expected and the state's political class is accustomed to — and appreciates — small courtesies.

"A lot of the reasons I like him a lot is he actually listens," said New Hampshire Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, who's received multiple calls and texts from Christie. "When you have a conversation with him he listens. Certainly he's called me up a lot."

Bradley hasn't endorsed yet but said Christie is a definite possibility.

Juliana Bergeron, a Republican National Committeewoman from New Hampshire, expects the governor's polling numbers to tick up.

"I think his surge is coming," said Bergeron, who stressed that she's remained neutral in the primary. "I think it will give him legs to carry to the other states."

The question now, said Mike Dennehy, who ran Sen. John McCain's successful 2000 and 2008 presidential operations in New Hampshire, is whether Christie can capitalize when the GOP field becomes a little more settled and a window of opportunity presents itself.

"He's getting around the state in front of voters. This all goes in the bank," Dennehy said. "He has improved his image and he has put himself in a perfect position to capitalize on a shakeup of some sorts. Whether it's the demise of John Kasich or we get another month and the voters get behind another candidate. I just think everything he's doing is building for an opportunity. But I just don't think that opportunity has presented itself. And it may not until January."