Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., a Tea Party leader who has fielded rumors of a presidential run for months, endorsed former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday afternoon at the Courtyard Marriott in Lebanon. Christie's endorsement which was announced just hours before the College-sponsored presidential debate was set to begin at 8 p.m. may benefit Romney by enhancing his conservative credentials and increasing his fundraising potential, according to government professors interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"I'm here in New Hampshire today for one simple reason," Christie said at the announcement. "America cannot survive another four years with Barack Obama, and Mitt Romney is the man we need to lead America, and we need him now."
To a packed audience of reporters and students who were bused to the Lebanon hotel from campus and with their wives looking adoringly from the front row, Christie and Romney took turns jabbing President Barack Obama and Romney's most formidable competition for the nomination, Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas.
Christie and Romney, who spoke for about 20 minutes in total, addressed Romney's position on the 2010 Affordable Health Care Act. Both politicians renounced "Obamacare" and emphasized that there are many differences between Romney's health care plan and Obama's health care act. Romney promised to repeal Obama's health care act and propose an alternative solution to universal health care if elected president.
Christie praised Romney's electability and willingness to lead, calling the frontrunner "the man we need to lead America."
During a question and answer period following the official announcement, Romney addressed recent comments about his religious beliefs and called upon Perry to repudiate anti-Mormon comments made by a pro-Perry pastor last week.
Tuesday's announcement was met with cheers from visibly excited audience members, most of whom were seeing candidates around campus for the first time. Jess Frieder '15, who was asked to attend the event by a Romney campaign official on campus earlier in the day, said there was an excited energy to Christie's announcement.
"It was really cool to be a part of what's going on in Hanover," Frieder said. "It was great to be a Dartmouth student today."
Dartmouth students comprised approximately 20 percent of the 100 attendees.
Professors interviewed by The Dartmouth disagreed about the significance of the announcement's timing, which came just five hours before the debate.
Government professor Dean Lacy said the endorsement will likely "deflate" Perry and businessman Herman Cain. Since Perry previously experienced a series of "poor debate performances," he likely already felt pressure to perform well in Tuesday evening's debate, Lacy said. Knowing that Christie endorsed one of his main competitors may have further unnerved the Texas governor, according to Lacy.
The location of the announcement, however, may have been more significant than its exact timing, government professor Joseph Bafumi said.
"[Romney has] focused on making sure he's strong in New Hampshire at this stage of the game, so my guess is he wanted to have the endorsement while here," Bafumi said. "I don't think it was important whether or not it was timed with the debate."
Although the endorsement brought Romney's campaign into the spotlight, endorsements do not ensure candidates' success, according to government professor Deborah Brooks. She pointed to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who received numerous "high-profile endorsements" yet failed to win the Democratic presidential nomination during the 2008 election cycle.
"If some of [Christie's] popularity can flow in Romney's direction, then he'll be happy about that, [but] it's by no means a sure thing in terms of assuring a win," Brooks said.
Christie's public image as "the savior" of the Republican Party and as a darling of the Republican right will help Romney significantly, Lacy said.
"No matter what [Romney] does tonight, I think the news cycle is more about Christie's endorsement of Romney than it is about the candidates' performances in the debate," he said.
Christie may later be awarded anything from a cabinet position to the vice presidency if Romney wins the GOP nomination and subsequent presidential election, Lacy said.
Brooks agreed that "good things" often flow from endorsements.
"Early supporters may gain more favorable attention it's too soon to tell," she said.
Christie's motives likely relate more directly to Romney's prospects as a candidate than the potential for personal gain, Bafumi said.
"For the most part he probably believes Romney's the best candidate in terms of legitimacy and in terms of ability to defeat Obama," he said. "Romney was the frontrunner, and I think he'll remain it."
Christie's press office did not return requests for comment by press time.
