COMMENTARY | The Wall Street Journal has reported that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is going to support Mitt Romney’s quest to become the Republican presidential candidate. This announcement comes on the day that the Republican candidates will debate later in the evening in Hanover, New Hampshire.
This debate has taken on greater importance because since the Orlando debate, Mitt Romney has established himself as the front-runner, both Sarah Palin and Christie have announced that they will not seek the candidacy and Texas Governor Rick Perry has faded into the middle of the pack.
As the process continues to unfold, the field of candidates narrows. According to a recent poll by NBC-Marist College addressing voter preferences in New Hampshire and Iowa, the top three contenders are Romney, Herman Cain and Ron Paul. This holds true in both states, although New Hampshire residents overwhelmingly favor Romney and Iowans give him but a 3 percent lead over Cain.
Romney will gain the financial backing of those who were hoping Christie would run. If he has a strong showing at tonight’s debate, we could see candidates such as Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Jon Huntsman withdraw from the process.
However, the flip side is that since Romney is now the front-runner again, there is a broad target on his back. I anticipate that both Governor Perry and Hermann Cain will focus their attacks on him and he must present credible responses to the issues that we face. He must continue to demonstrate that he has a chance to unseat the incumbent, and right now, Americans want to hear how he will create jobs, improve the economy and address illegal immigration. He may have picked up a huge amount of centrist support, but he must also take pains to avoid any gaffes.