N.J. Gov. Chris Christie Draws Big Crowd in Missouri

Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence got a big boost Sunday when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie energized an estimated crowd of 1,000 people in southwest Missouri, according to KTTS. Christie was there representing the Republican Governors Association. His speech was aimed at incumbent Gov. Jay Nixon.

* A public rally was held in mid-afternoon at the Oasis Inn and Convention Center in northern Springfield. Christie sought to link Nixon's policies to those of President Barack Obama, according to the Springfield News-Leader. The governor spoke for about 20 minutes.

* Christie said, "I see startling similarities between the campaign run by the governor of Missouri and the campaign of the president of the United States."

* To illustrate the point, Spence released an advertisement earlier in the week arguing both Democratic candidates have failed to deliver on promises of job growth. Spence quotes Nixon's endorsement of Obama in 2008 and Nixon's remarks on receiving federal stimulus money in 2009.

* The video ends with a picture of Obama standing next to Nixon with the words "Nixon and Obama: They've failed Missouri together."

* Spence was pleased with the support from New Jersey's governor. KOLR reveals Spence said, "I don't think it's negative to have a bold leader like Chris Christie who will tell the truth. He will stand up for Missourians and get our once growing economy growing again."

* Former Republican state Sen. Chuck Wooten gave the Democratic response to Christie's speech. Wooten said, according to KOLR, "We don't want Missouri to be like where [Christie is] from. So I think it's wrong to bring someone in from a state that's in bad shape."

* The News-Leader backed up Wooten's comments. The media outlet reveals Missouri's unemployment rate is 7.2 percent. By comparison, New Jersey has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the United States at 9.8 percent. The national average is 8.1 percent.

* Darrell Hickman of Nevada, Mo., attended the Christie rally. He believes both Nixon and Obama "tend to take credit for things they're not really due to take credit for," according to the News-Leader.

* Several national figures have spent time in Missouri campaigning for local races. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was in St. Louis on Aug. 22 stumping for Spence. Newt Gingrich is in St. Louis to raise money for Rep. Todd Akin.

* Spence trails Nixon by an average of 10 points, according to Real Clear Politics. The largest lead is 14 points and the smallest is nine points among three polls.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/n-j-gov-chris-christie-draws-big-crowd-165400999.html

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