Ted Cruz is apparently knocking Chris Christie in meetings with Republican donors.
According to a report by Politico, Cruz is telling the GOP’s moneymen that Chris Christie is nothing more than Rudy Giuliani-redux:
Seeking to expand his base of support beyond tea party conservatives, Cruz, who has been working donors and elites aggressively, has routinely dismissed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in private conversations as the “Rudy Giuliani of this cycle,” multiple sources told POLITICO.
Politico added that a “Cruz adviser noted that the senator has often praised Christie,” but that’s not exactly a denial by Team Cruz.
In case you don’t remember the 2008 Republican presidential primary all that well, before primary voters actually started casting ballots, Giuliani was seen by some as the front-runner, often leading in national polls. He was also a favorite of many Republican donors. But the former New York mayor quickly fizzled, relying on a strategy that skipped the Iowa caucuses and early primary states, with the hope he could take charge in the Florida primary. The plan didn’t work out so well and Giuliani dropped out with zero delegates after coming in a distant third in the Sunshine State.
So, in short, calling someone the “Rudy Giuliani of mayors” is high praise in Republican political circles, while calling a potential presidential contender the “Rudy Giuliani of this cycle” is a major diss. It’s even worthy of a “Cruz SLAMS Christie” headline.