Gov. Christie criss-crossed the country last year campaigning for Republicans. Now the governor is cashing in with some fundraising of his own. Watch video
Republicans have raised significantly more money since Gov. Chris Christie was elected.TRENTON — An intimate group of wealthy donors clustered around a long, rectangular table at the posh Boston Harbor Hotel, dining on sea bass and filet mignon.
With the meal winding down, they turned to the man they had come to see: Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who was there last month to make his pitch almost 250 miles from the Statehouse in Trenton.
If they donated to the New Jersey Republican Party, Christie said, the money could help wrest control of the state Legislature from the Democrats.
One of those at the table was Charlie Baker, a venture capitalist and unsuccessful candidate for governor of Massachusetts. Last year, Christie was at the same hotel to raise money for Baker, who six months later was glad to return the favor.
Christie left the dinner with tens of thousands of dollars for his state’s Republican Party.
After crisscrossing the country last fall campaigning for Republican candidates and picking up chits, Christie is now cashing in. The fundraisers are also a sign that the governor is leveraging his growing national stature to help New Jersey Republicans in a year when all 120 seats in the Legislature are up for grabs.
“When you go help somebody out, they’re generally eager to help you out in return,” said Tom Wilson, former state Republican chairman. “And one way to do that is with a fundraiser.”
Later this month, Christie will attend a fundraiser in Philadelphia with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, a fellow Republican for whom he campaigned last year. Cocktails will cost $250 a person, and dinner is $5,000. But the best seating is reserved for those who donate from $10,000 to $25,000, the maximum amount. And again, the proceeds will go to the Republican Party in New Jersey.
William Palatucci, a close friend and adviser of Christie who is spearheading the fundraising for the state party, said the governor will, for the most part, stick close to home. Rick Gorka, the state GOP spokesman, said 97 percent of donors in the first three months of this year are from New Jersey.
Still, Palatucci sees an opportunity to ramp up out-of-state fundraising by capitalizing on the good will Christie has amassed. He said one possible trip would take Christie back to Ohio, where last year, he campaigned for John Kasich, who was elected governor. Palatucci said the two politicians “hit it off.”
Christie’s cross-country campaigning last year generated much speculation that he was preparing a 2012 presidential candidacy, something he has consistently denied.
In spite of that, a cadre of Republican donors from Iowa plans to meet with Christie at the governor’s mansion on May 31 to try to draft him into the presidential race. One is Bruce Rastetter, an energy executive who is a top fundraiser for Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad — whom Christie campaigned for last year. Mike DuHaime, Christie’s chief political adviser, said Rastetter and Christie met on the trail.
“This doesn’t change anything the governor has said about 2012,” DuHaime said.
Steven Some, a Republican lobbyist, said invitations for Christie are pouring in from around the country.
“Without question, Gov. Christie is the hottest ticket in the national Republican fundraising circuit,” he said. “People I know in California would love to have him come out there any day of the week.”
Christie has made winning control of the state Legislature a priority, reminding voters at town hall meetings that he can’t enact the changes he wants — in public employee benefits and teacher tenure, for example — if the Senate and Assembly are controlled by Democrats. Donors across the country, Palatucci said, want to help Christie meet those goals.
“They see the governor as the leader of a movement,” said “They want to support the party by helping to elect candidates supportive of that movement.”
Democrats hold 24 of 40 seats in the Senate and 47 of 80 seats in the Assembly, allowing them to block any of the governor’s bills. Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the state Democratic Party, said Christie would “be able to rule by edict” if Republicans gained majorities in both houses.
“The Democratic Legislature serves as a check on Christie administration,” he said. “That’s how our government is supposed to work.”
Taking control of either chamber could be a tall order in a Democratic leaning state. The New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union and a sworn enemy of Christie, is also flexing its muscles. Last year it spent almost $7 million on lobbying, including a broad and bitter advertising campaign.
In addition, although Christie personally lobbied for a Republican legislative redistricting plan, the newly drawn map continues to favor Democrats.
Still, Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University, said Republicans are better financed and more active these days — and they have the governor’s office.
“This governor is unique in his ability to mobilize those party forces,” she said.
Wisniewski and Palatucci both declined to say how much money their parties hope to raise for the looming battle. “You never want to print your playbook in the newspapers,” Palatucci said.
Campaign finance reports from the first three months of this year indicate that Republicans are off to a good start. The three primary statewide Republican committees collected $1.08 million, while Democrats pulled in $657,000. Republicans also ended the quarter with $1 million more in the bank than Democrats.
Compared with 2007, the last time all legislative seats were at stake, Republican fundraising has soared 260 percent while that of Democrats has fallen 52 percent. Nonetheless, Wisniewski said he was not concerned about keeping pace. “At the end of the day, we’ll be very competitive with Republicans,” he said.
Christie himself has benefited from out-of-state largesse in the past. When he ran against Gov. Jon Corzine in 2009, the Republican Governors Association anted up millions of dollars for advertising.
The next year, Christie returned the favor, campaigning for 13 Republican gubernatorial candidates. Six won, including Corbett and Branstad.
All of that work is already paying off. “Every one of those trips is an IOU in the bank,” Wilson said.