Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has accused Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of “inventing” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, whom he believes would be the most formidable running mate.
Christie, one of Trump’s most ardent critics within the Republican Party, argued that Trump’s endorsement of Shapiro’s rival, Republican Doug Mastriano, in the 2022 presidential election paved the way for the Keystone State Democrat’s rise.
“if [Harris] “President Trump picked Shapiro on Tuesday because Donald Trump produced Josh Shapiro,” Christie said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “President Trump endorsed Mastriano, who is the weakest Republican candidate in the field.”
“What Josh Shapiro was able to do was see an opportunity in the election to build a coalition rather than leverage his base to win a close election,” Christie continued. “The only reason he was able to do that was because Trump made another ridiculously stupid endorsement, endorsing Mastriano, who was a flawed, weak, bad candidate.”
Mastriano, a state senator, was defeated by Shapiro in the 2022 midterm elections, 56.5% to 41.7%.
Democrats have accused Mastriano, who lost in the 2018 congressional election, of questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election, alluding to conspiracy theories and attending an April 2022 meeting. Alleged affiliation with QAnon Conspiracies and so on.
Mastriano largely avoided media interviews during the campaign and had a knack for weighing in on controversies, but he was an ardent supporter of Trump, which helped him win the support.
Mastriano later I thought about the competition He ran against Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) for the Senate seat but ultimately dropped out, paving the way for Republican businessman David McCormick.
Christie argued that Shapiro, who served as Pennsylvania’s attorney general from 2017 to early 2023, was the most sensible choice for Harris.
“It should be Josh Shapiro. I don’t think it’s a hard choice. He’s a very talented politician. He’s extraordinarily popular. She needs 65 percent of the support in the state to win, which is really important,” he said.
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes and is one of the top seven battleground states needed to win the presidential election.
Ms. Harris was scheduled to meet Sunday with Mr. Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). The Washington Post reported..
She is scheduled to deliver her vice presidential campaign speech in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Democrats have blasted Trump for choosing Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, as his running mate, but Trump has dismissed those concerns, arguing that “historically, the vice president has no influence on elections.”
Christie disagreed, particularly with regard to Harris.
“I think this is very important,” he said, “and it will show whether she is really trying to reach out to the whole party and ultimately the whole country.”
“Secondly, I think this is really important because it sends a very clear signal to her about how she makes decisions,” he continued.
Governor Christie has long favored governors with administrative experience, and has argued that the governor should be someone he sees as “more moderate than me.”
Some progressives have complained about Shapiro’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas, which some strategists believe could hurt the race, especially in Michigan.
This sparked a backlash from prominent Jewish Democrats who believed Shapiro was being targeted because of his faith.
“These progressives don’t want Jews. Let’s say it loud and clear. Imagine if a moderate Democrat said they didn’t want certain minorities,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). I wrote to X last week.
“The cries of condemnation would have been deafening. Now all we hear is silence,” Moskowitz added.
