Media acts rashly when evaluating candidates

As the saying goes, any publicity is good publicity.

If this is the case, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie should be grateful for his recent wave of free publicity. Headlines involving the governor grandly proclaim “Christie’s Delusions of Presidential Grandeur,” “Christie is Fading Fast” and “Everybody Hates Chris Christie.” The general consensus, explicitly stated in a recent New York Times editorial, “Adieu, Chris Christie, Adieu,” is that Christie is political toast.

With about 20 months until the election, however, it is much too soon to completely disregard Christie’s chances at the Republican nomination, or even at the presidency. Political toast would be ignored, not invited to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Political toast would be shying away from public life, not making appearances at town halls and fundraising meetings. Political toast would be holding their tongue, not brashly “giving up the New York Times for Lent.”

It is precisely this brashness that initially contributed to Christie’s rise in prominence. Loud and unapologetic, Christie gained a following through his emotionally driven, authentic personality.  After Hurricane Sandy, he earned national attention for embracing President Barack Obama, and for his notorious fleece jacket, which had short-lived fame with its own Twitter account.

In those days, things looked pretty good for Christie. The media portrayed him as a moderate, a potential panacea to the Republican party’s far-right woes. He bounced back from slip-ups, like when he chased a nay-sayer with his ice cream cone or told a heckler to “sit down and shut up.”

These slip-ups simply played into Christie’s persona — a bona-fide New Jerseyan who stuck true to his roots and to his guns. Having been featured on both TMZ and CNN, Christie graduated from the ranks of the average politician into the realm of celebrity-politician hybrids.  Given Christie’s personality, it’s safe to say that he won’t be out of the race until he, not the media, decides he’s out of the race.

Of course, the media isn’t attacking Christie without good reason.  A recent CBS News poll placed Jeb Bush, a man with an even more recognizable name, in first place, with 49 percent of Republicans saying they’d vote for him for president. Christie placed ninth out of 11 potential candidates, spurring the media push against Christie.

Even the poll itself, however, suggests it’s too early to disregard Christie. Yes, 49 percent of Republican respondents said they’d vote for Bush, but 25 percent said they didn’t know enough about Bush yet to make a decision. This sentiment echoed throughout the poll, with more than a quarter of voters polled saying they didn’t know enough yet to make a decision about each listed candidate. As we approach the election, voters will know more, and only then will polls allow us to discount contenders.

Christie’s dismal polling numbers could easily be attributed to his more recent, more serious slip-ups. The innocent days of waving ice cream cones are over. To some, the well-publicized Bridgegate scandal transformed Christie’s brashness from admirable to malicious. Additionally, instead of praise for being a moderate, Christie has recently received flack for failing to take a firm stance on hot button issues such as abortion. The fact that Christie is still a presidential contender, however, exhibits resiliency, and that he is not ready to back down from the race.

And even if Christie’s numbers are poor, his brash personality keeps voters intrigued. Political commentators such as Ben Dworkin, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University, wrote in a recent editorial, “His physical appearance, swagger and tone all make him fascinating to millions of voters. They aren’t sure if they’ll agree with him, but they want to hear what he will say next.”

This shows Christie’s enduring relevance; Americans love political characters. Yes, his polling numbers are down, but there’s 20 months for Christie to return to the unique, authentic political persona which became his claim to fame. There’s 20 months for him to turn the polls around. This isn’t to argue that he absolutely will turn the polls around and win the election — the 20 months merely means that there is a chance, not a certainty.

With these 20 months between us and election season, it’s premature to call Christie’s political career toast. Voters aren’t informed enough for the polls to be relevant, though as long as Christie remains a conversation topic, he’ll remain relevant.

Bridgegate hasn’t been forgotten yet, and pending investigations could be the final nail in the toaster. But until then, to use Christie’s own words, everyone needs to “sit down and shut up,” and let the primaries run their course.