The Vermont Republican Party has nabbed a high profile guest of honor for its winter gala — the newly re-elected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The Vermont GOP emailed an invitation to the fundraiser for a second time Thursday morning, with the conspicuous addition of Christie.
As the popular head of a decidedly blue state, Christie is an obvious idol for Green Mountain Republicans. But there are other reasons why he was a natural fit for the winter affair, according to Heidi Scheuermann, a Republican state representative from Stowe.
Scheuermann and Lt. Gov. Phil Scott spearheaded the effort to bring Christie to Vermont. The pair of public officials is also leading an effort to rebrand the Vermont Republican Party, an effort that the current party leaders oppose.
Christie, who has made significant inroads with Democratic voters, as well as independents and moderates, subscribes to a pragmatic strand of Republican politics similar to what Scott and Scheuermann are promoting in Vermont.
“What Christie has been able to do in New Jersey is bring people together of all political stripes. It’s not just Republicans who vote for him. Democrats do, too,” Scheuermann said. “His priority is governing, not politics and that’s been made clear. I think that is reflective of what we want to do here in Vermont.”
Scott has said that Vermont Republican Party needs to eschew divisive political issues and work across party lines if Republicans are going to win more seats in the Statehouse.
Christie, like Scott, has weathered criticism for being too chummy with prominent Democrats. When Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey last year, Christie took flak for praising President Obama’s assistance. Scott who praised Gov. Peter Shumlin’s handling of Tropical Storm Irene has more recently been criticized for failing to challenge Shumlin’s handling of the state’s health care exchange.
Christie, however, has not been abashed about his stance on social issues. He recently decided not to appeal a judge’s decision to allow same sex marriage in New Jersey, but he’s been a longtime vocal opponent of it.
Scheuermann said part of the goal of bringing Christie to Vermont is to draw moderates, Independents and maybe even some Democrats into the fold, and she doesn’t think his stances on social issues will inhibit that.
“That is the first I’ve even thought of that. Governor Christie is the governor of New Jersey and he has his decisions to make in New Jersey about what will be best for New Jerseyans,” she said.
Christie also has something in common with Vermont’s highest public official. Shumlin chairs the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), while Christie is slated to take the helm of the Republican Governors Association (RGA). Both groups work to elect governors of their respective party stripes. Shumlin said Wednesday that the DGA didn’t spend any backing Christie’s Democratic challenger during the lead up to Tuesday’s election, because he knew they wouldn’t have a chance at dethroning Christie.
How did a couple Vermont Republicans coax Christie, widely considered a possible presidential candidate for 2016, to come? A connection helped, according to Scheuermann: “My brother happens to know him.”
Scheuermann said the Party hasn’t worked out all the logistics, so she doesn’t know how much they’ll have to spend to host the New Jersey governor.
The fundraiser is being held at the Champlain Valley Expo on Dec. 11. The price of admission is $50 per person. Cocktail hour starts at 6 p.m., and dinner begins at 7 p.m. For access to a private reception beforehand, the price is $1,000 per couple.
