After Missing Main Debate Stage, Chris Christie’s Team Stays Optimistic

After New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was booted from the main stage of the debate by Fox Business, his campaign team quickly sent out a memo to reporters to show why they are still optimistic about his presidential bid.

“Governor Christie is the most tested, ready and mature leader in the field,” wrote campaign spokesperson Samantha Smith. “He’s a proven fighter and it doesn’t matter what stage he’s on to fight for the American people.”

Christie’s team maintained an optomistic tone – strikingly different that other candidates, who blamed media bias or the Republican National Committee for their failure to make the cut.

Christie’s demotion to the J.V. debate isn’t good, but Smith argued that the campaign is still gaining momentum – particularly in the early primary states.

Christie is polling at eight percent according to a WBUR poll in New Hampshire, and in Iowa he is up to 3 percent. Although he missed the 2.5 percent threshold to make the main stage of the debate, the campaign argues that Christie has even improved in the national polls beyond the 1 percent numbers of Republican backbencher candidates.

Perhaps the most frustrating part for Christie is that Sen. Rand Paul made the main stage. Christie and Paul tangled politically before the governor announced for president and quickly clashed in the first debate. Both candidates have had their poll numbers dip dangerously low, threatening their positions on the main stage.

With the debate lineup now settled, however, Christie will join Gov. Mike Huckabee on stage earlier with Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Senator Rick Santorum.

Both Christie and Huckabee are known to be entertaining speakers who might bring a little more energy to the undercard debate that has been largely dominated by the foreign policy scolding of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Graham missed the debate stage entirely together with former New York Gov. George Pataki, and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore after failing to earn even one percent support.