Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal became the first Republican governor to go against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie when he agreed to provide aid to Rob Astorino, the New York Republican gubernatorial candidate against incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the New York Post reports.
Jindal has agreed to host a fundraiser for Astorino in Westchester County because, according to the Post, he “believes this race is winnable,” while Christie does not.
Christie, who is the head of the Republican Governor’s Association, has refused to give funds to Astorino’s campaign, calling it a “lost cause,” which has angered a lot of New York Republicans.
It is believed that, according to RGA insiders, Christie’s refusal to help out Astorino is returning the favor to Cuomo for not criticizing him during the infamous “Bridgegate” scandal.
The Post says that Jindal’s move is a “shot across Christie’s bow”and “there’s no love lost.”
Other Republican governors following Jindal’s lead include Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (who has already held a fundraiser for Astorino) to campaign and fundraise for Astorino.
Astorino’s campaign has struggled raise funds, as the Post has described his campaign as “cash-strapped,” however a new pro-Astorino Super Pac called “Rescue New York” run by former State Senator George Winner claims to have gotten a positive response from big money GOP donors to help Astorino.
They haven’t raised any funds yet though.