海角大神

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) was elected to be this year鈥檚 chairman of the Republican Governors Association, the likely presidential aspirant probably had something very specific in mind.

Fundraising. His official job as chairman, after all, is to help elect Republican governors, making it a job that demands a quintessential skill of the American politician: the ability to raise enough cash to run an effective campaign.

As anyone with an eye toward the White House knows, the job also gives the chairman wide access to donors in a host of state party networks, giving him an opportunity to glad-hand, build relationships, and recruit the kind of people good at opening pocketbooks 鈥� essential foundations for an arduous national run.

But since Governor Christie has been hamstrung by the slow-simmering investigations into his role in Bridge-gate, in which his closest aides conspired to punish a small-borough Democrat who had not made a bipartisan endorsement during Christie鈥檚 reelection efforts last fall, many have wondered whether the scandal would spook potential donors, harming his fundraising for Republican governors 鈥� as well as his long-expected presidential bid.

So far, the New Jersey governor has shown that he hasn鈥檛 lost his fundraising chops quite yet 鈥� and perhaps his viability as a national candidate. Indeed, on Tuesday in Chicago, Christie raked in $1 million, the Republican Governors Association reported, after he attended . This included a morning event for Jim Durkin, Republican leader in the Illinois House; an afternoon event with Chicago billionaire Ken Griffin; and a number of one-on-one meetings with big donors.

This comes after Christie 鈥� who launched his own political career as a savvy campaign bundler for former President George W. Bush, an important factor in his being appointed US attorney in 2001 鈥� already raised $1.5 million during fundraising stops in Texas last week. His schedule includes a number of additional fundraising stops in Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Georgia, and Utah in the coming weeks.

With Christie鈥檚 and others鈥� help, last month saw a record haul for the governors association, which that it had raised $6 million in January 鈥� more than double the amount it had ever raised the first month of any year.

The good news continued for Christie鈥檚 fundraising Tuesday, too, when New Jersey campaign-finance regulators gave the go-ahead for the governor鈥檚 reelection campaign to resume raising money to pay for its mounting legal fees. Both the US attorney and the state Legislature are investigating the lane closures at the George Washington Bridge last September.

His campaign had used public matching funds, so it was limited to spending about $12.2 million, which it did. It has about $126,000 left, .

None of the funds raised this week were for Christie鈥檚 coffers, of course, but that鈥檚 not the point at this stage, observers say.

鈥淲e have to look beyond just donors,鈥� says Christina Greer, professor of urban politics at Fordham University in New York. 鈥淲e have to look at people who can network for you. Before we even start talking about big money, we actually have to talk about the small communities that want to get the word out and the buzz interested in you, because if you don鈥檛 have that, you don鈥檛 have the money.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 like the step before the step,鈥� Professor Greer continues. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e been to these events, they don鈥檛 ask you for money the first time you go. They just try to cultivate a relationship.鈥�

All the current fundraising success appears to have energized Christie, who, after lying low this past month after the Bridge-gate scandal erupted, returned to his brash, taunting self during a non-fundraising appearance at the Economic Club of Chicago.

In many ways, it was the return of Christie-the-potential-presidential-candidate, as he touched on themes of bipartisanship, saying his success in New Jersey stemmed from his ability to work with Democrats. He also returned to arguments he had made in the past in front of national audiences.

鈥淚 think as you look forward to 2016, our party鈥檚 priority should be on winning,鈥� Christie told the audience of 1,600 business leaders. 鈥淣ot winning the argument. Winning the election.... Parties tend to become pragmatic when they鈥檙e powerless. It鈥檚 time for us to get pragmatic.鈥�

Still, Bridge-gate, as well as his party鈥檚 rightward drift, has changed the dynamic. Tea party message boards teem with 鈥淩INO鈥� references 鈥� 鈥淩epublican in Name Only鈥� 鈥� and a powerful refrain has emerged from his right-wing Republican naysayers and Democratic critics both.

鈥淚 just don鈥檛 know all the information out there, but it鈥檚 hard to be the CEO of an organization and not know what the closest people to you are up to,鈥� , former Republican governor of Alaska, on 鈥淚nside Edition鈥� Tuesday. 鈥淚 know when I was mayor and manager of this city and then governor of the state, certainly you know what your top aides are up to.鈥�

Democrats, who have developed a strategy of following the New Jersey governor as he raises funds across the country, have also been saying this for months. 鈥淓ither the governor knew and he is lying, or he is the most inept, incompetent chief executive imaginable,鈥� said Ted Strickland, former Democratic governor of Ohio.

The question remains, however, whether donors and other bundlers will commit to a Christie presidential bid. Yet his Bridge-gate travails might have a fundraising bright side.

鈥淚f I were a donor, I might think about it this way,鈥� says Greer. 鈥淲e know that there鈥檚 so many journalists from so many organizations across the country that have been digging into every single facet of Christie鈥檚 past. So in some ways, as a donor, I might feel more comfortable with that, because the pre-vetting process has already happened.鈥�

鈥淪o Christie can essentially say, listen, they found everything that they can find, and this is the best they can come up with,鈥� she continues. 鈥淪o for us to discount anyone at this point in time would be foolish.鈥�