ORLANDO—Controversies dogging New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie followed him to Florida on Saturday, as he made his first out-of-state fundraising trip since his aides were linked to a plan that caused a four-day traffic snarl near the George Washington Bridge.
The New Jersey governor headlined a series of fundraisers for fellow Republican Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, drawing large crowds of GOP donors, a big press contingent and barbs from Florida Democrats, as well as from some fellow Republicans.
The attention devoted to what would otherwise have been a routine fundraising swing for Mr. Christie, the new head of the Republican Governors Association, testified to the pressure he is under as he navigates the biggest scandal of his political career. The Florida trip also represented a test of how party donors now view one of the GOP’s top potential contenders for the 2016 U.S. presidential nomination.
Mr. Christie began his fundraising foray at a late-morning event at the Country Club of Orlando, where he stayed an hour. The Orlando event, like each of the others Mr. Christie is doing in the state over two days, was closed to the 20 or so reporters who turned up.
In Orlando, the crowd welcomed Mr. Christie with a standing ovation. The New Jersey governor spoke almost entirely about Mr. Scott, lauding his job-creation record and his work mending the Florida economy, according to attendees who spoke afterward.
Mr. Christie didn’t address the George Washington Bridge controversy. At one point, he presented Mr. Scott with a $2.5 million check on behalf of the Republican Governors Association. The Florida GOP didn’t disclose how much money the events raised for Mr. Scott.
Mr. Christie “was perfect,” said Curtis Hodges, a donor who attended with his wife. He said the atmosphere in the room was ebullient and that both governors were received enthusiastically.
While attendees said Mr. Christie kept the focus on Mr. Scott, one woman who attended the event but didn’t give her name, said he did address his overwhelming re-election last year, noting that he had won more than 60% of the vote.
U.S. Rep. John Mica, a Florida Republican, spoke to reporters before Mr. Christie’s arrival. He said the event was “packed” with people and that among those with whom he spoke, there wasn’t talk of the New Jersey governor’s woes. “I don’t agree with some of the positions of Gov. Christie, but I think he is one of the most outstanding Republican leaders we have, and I support him wholly,” Mr. Mica said. The congressman dismissed the significance of the bridge controversy. “I’ve never seen anything so blown out of proportion,” he said.
Outside the country club, a small group of Scott supporters gathered with placards reading “Thanks Gov. Scott, It’s Working” and “Obamacare: Lie of the Year.” One the group, Barbara Seidenberg, a 56-year-old information-technology worker, said she thought the bridge controversy would blow over and that Mr. Scott was unlikely to be tainted by appearing with Mr. Christie. Though she prefers other would-be Republican presidential contenders, such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, she said Mr. Christie could be a viable candidate. “If he appeals to a broader group of Republicans, I guess he will be elected,” she said.
While denying personal involvement, the New Jersey governor has fired a top aide in the George Washington Bridge scandal. He faces accusations that his administration caused lane closures on the bridge and the resulting traffic jams in Fort Lee, N.J., for political retribution.
In a separate development Saturday, the Democrat mayor of Hoboken, N.J., accused Mr. Christie’s administration of withholding superstorm Sandy funds from her city last year because she failed to back a real-estate project supported by New Jersey officials. A spokesman for the governor said the assertions were false and the mayor, Dawn Zimmer, was waging a partisan attack. He said Hoboken is slated to receive $70 million in federal Sandy aid.
Meantime, on Saturday, Democrats blasted Mr. Christie’s appearance with Mr. Scott. Appearing at a nearby park two hours before Mr. Christie’s arrival, Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz criticized the string of private events the two governors were to attend. “Either Chris Christie doesn’t want to face the press, or Rick Scott doesn’t want to be seen publicly with him,” she said.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz, who is also a Florida Democratic congresswoman, said the new allegations by the Hoboken mayor came as no surprise. “This is a pattern of intimidation and potential retribution that Chris Christie has led,” she said. “This is the tone that Christie set in his office, and it’s the example that his staff followed.”
Republicans criticized the DNC leader for using the Christie trip to create a sideshow. “The congresswoman’s attempt at drawing attention to herself today further proves that Florida Democrats and their liberal buddies in Washington have no positive agenda to offer to Floridians,” said Lenny Curry, head of the Florida GOP.
After departing Orlando, Mr. Christie was to attend fundraisers in Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. He was slated to huddle on Sunday night with Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, a close Christie ally, and a number of prominent donors to the New Jersey governor who have flocked to the event out of support for Mr. Christie.
Though Republicans who attended the Orlando fundraiser expressed solid support of Mr. Christie, others were less forgiving. Sid Dinerstein, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, said the New Jersey governor earned the enmity of many Republicans by touting President Obama’s response to superstorm Sandy. “Of all the people in the entire country, nobody did more to elect Obama in 2012 than Chris Christie,” he said.
“Republicans know that it is not possible for Christie to ever become president,” Mr. Dinerstein said. “It is, however, possible for Christie to become the Republican nominee. But if Christie becomes the Republican nominee, a minimum of 10 million Republicans would stay home, guaranteeing that we would lose.”
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