Top Democratic officials launched a concerted offensive on Wednesday to define New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in a negative light, believing that he has emerged from his reelection landslide as the Republican Party's strongest potential presidential contender for 2016.
Some Democratic strategists said the party made a mistake by not spending more money to attack Christie during the gubernatorial campaign, which might have suppressed his margin of victory and denied the Republican a sweeping mandate in a blue state. In the months to come, Democrats say they plan to chip away at Christie's moderate image and present him nationally as a hard-edged conservative.
In Washington, some of Christie's possible rivals for the 2016 GOP nomination also criticized the governor on Wednesday and sought to diminish the significance of his reelection romp.
The maneuvering comes as Christie prepares to become chairman of the influential Republican Governors Association, which will allow him to crisscross the country raising money and campaigning for fellow GOP governors next year. Democrats said they will attempt to tie Christie to those governors' most unpopular policies.
Christie demonstrated his strength as a potential national candidate with a commanding victory on Tuesday, winning 60 percent of the vote in a state that President Obama carried handily a year ago. Christie showed broad appeal, carrying a majority of the votes of women and Hispanics and making gains with blacks and young people — all demographic groups that have stymied other Republicans.
As Christie campaigns next year alongside such Republicans as Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, "He's going to have to answer the question: Is this good for the states to focus on radical social agendas?" said Colm O'Comartun, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association.
"What's worked for [Christie] has been to make sure that nobody talks about the issues, that people just get consumed with his personality-driven late-show entertainment," O'Comartun said. "People will see past the bluster and the Vaudeville routine that is the Chris Christie show. They'll focus in on the issues."
Democratic strategist Steve Murphy said Christie is "the strongest candidate" for Republicans against former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, who would be the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic nomination if she chooses to run. He said Democrats would be wise to highlight Christie's conservatism on economic issues.
"His policy set in New Jersey is 'Bush-Romney,' " Murphy said. "By comparison to the tea party, he seems moderate, but he's not. And Democrats would do well to expose that reality."
But that strategy would also be risky for Democrats, since casting Christie as a die-hard conservative could help him survive the Republican primaries.
Christie's office had no comment on the attacks from Democrats, saying Tuesday's election results speak for themselves.
Mark McKinnon, a strategist on George W. Bush's presidential campaigns, said Christie would be "the dominant Republican story for the next three years" and will come under intense scrutiny, from opponents and the national media.
