Chris Christie came out firing at a Larry Hogan campaign event this morning in Bethesda.
The New Jersey governor gave a brief speech heavily criticizing Hogan’s gubernatorial opponent Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in a 5-minute speech amid a throng of reporters. Hogan brushed off questions about the National Rifle Association endorsing him Monday by calling it a distraction, and Christie, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, agreed.
“Anthony Brown keeps trying to change the subject to things we don’t want to talk about,” Christie said. “If I had the lieutenant governor’s record and I had to run for a third Marty O’Malley term, I’d be trying to talk about anything else in the world but that. I admire the lieutenant governor for trying to change the subject, but the fact is he’s the one with the record. He’s the one with a record in messing up the rollout of the healthcare exchange. He’s the one with the record of raising taxes to exorbitant levels in Maryland. He’s the one with the record of not seeing the kind of job growth in Maryland people in the state deserve. He’s the one with the record he needs to defend. He’s trying to send you down the rabbit hole, but he’s not going to be able to send the voters down the rabbit hole, because they’re the ones paying the bills for his failed policies.”
The brief speech elicited big cheers from the volunteer Republican crowd on hand to see Christie. About 15 minutes after he had arrived, Christie left, saying he was on to campaign for candidates in Illinois and Michigan.
Hogan, with a big smile, walked side by side with Christie as the two arrived at the event at The Original Pancake House.
“I’m thrilled to have [Christie’s] help,” Hogan said. “I actually believe the biggest upset in the entire country is going to be in the state of Maryland.”
When asked about what lesson Christie can teach Hogan about winning in a heavily Democratic state like Maryland, Christie said, “I’m living proof it can not only happen once, it can happen twice.”
“I’m a mercenary in this job,” he added. “I go to places where we can win.”
The appearance marked the New Jersey Governor’s second trip to Bethesda in a little over a month. He first appeared at a Hogan campaign event at Redwood restaurant on Sept. 17.
Despite running in heavily Democratic Maryland, Hogan, an Annapolis businessman, is drawing closer to his competitor, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, as the Nov. 4 election nears. Recent polls conducted by the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun have Hogan trailing Brown by between 7 and 9 points.
Hogan has also picked up endorsements from local newspapers, including the Gazette and the Annapolis paper The Capital.
Brown has also brought in big names to support his campaign. Former President Bill Clinton stumped for the Democratic candidate at two different events in Potomac, and on Sunday President Barack Obama lent his support to Brown at a campaign event in Prince George’s County.
