• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, December 1, 2015

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is considered both a stalwart conservative and an experienced politician. His conservative principles and political acumen have earned him an important endorsement from the biggest newspaper in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire Union Leader has backed Gov. Christie for the Republican nomination. Publisher Joseph McQuaid wrote: “Gov. Christie is right for these dangerous times. He has prosecuted terrorists and dealt admirably with major disasters.”

There is a certain weight to these comments, and support for Christie has been growing in the Granite State. While Donald Trump holds a strong lead in New Hampshire, some polls show Christie moving into the top handful of candidates closing in on Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, polling at around 5%-6%, depending on which poll one cites.

McQuaid added in his editorial: “The one reason he may be best-suited to lead during these times is because he tells it like it is and isn’t shy about it. Other candidates have gained public and media attention by speaking bluntly. But it’s important when you are telling it like it is to actually know what you are talking about.”

The position held by McQuaid is one that follows a reasonable interpretation of the Republican primary field. Few candidates have the executive experience that Christie does — and those who do are not faring much better.

The Union Leader is influential in New Hampshire, but voters have so far been flocking to candidates with little-to-no time in elected office. A publication like the Leader has a more grounded approach to deciding which candidate to back than the typical Republican voter will have.

As far as primary voters go, Christie misses the mark on a few issues. He reacted graciously to Obama’s support for New Jersey, the noteworthy “hug,” following the devastating Hurricane Sandy, already a problem for many conservatives. The ongoing “Bridgegate” debacle is also a stain on his record.

Additionally, being the governor of a mostly blue state, Christie is known to have successfully reached across the aisle numerous times. While these facts show the governor is willing to compromise to reach goals that benefit his constituents and should be reason for Republicans to rally behind him, it is not considered a positive quality by many GOP primary voters.

Chances are extremely slim for the nomination, but it will be interesting to see how Christie fares, should the top candidates start to slip. As we get closer to a real vote, conservatives will be pressured to look to more experienced candidates who can appeal to independent and even Democratic voters in the general election.