Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio insisted Wednesday former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did not kill his 2016 presidential campaign.
Christie, who announced his 2024 bid for president, ran against Rubio in 2016 and notably criticized the Florida senator on the debate stage over his pre-prepared responses to questions.
“Any political reporter/commentator claiming Christie ‘ended’ my campaign in 2016 is lazy or dumb. NH debate sucked because instead of hitting back when attacked like I wanted to, I listened to advice about “pivoting” & not “punching down” on a CC who was at 7% & about to drop out,” Rubio wrote in a Wednesday tweet. “But it didn’t end my campaign. After NH I finished 2nd in SC & NV, won 3 primaries, almost won Virginia on Super Tuesday, finished with the 3rd most delegates behind Trumps historic campaign & was reelected twice by 8 & 17 points.”
Any political reporter/commentator claiming Christie “ended” my campaign in 2016 is lazy or dumb
NH debate sucked because instead of hitting back when attacked like I wanted to, I listened to advice about “pivoting” & not “punching down” on a CC who was at 7% & about to drop…
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 6, 2023
The famous debacle between Rubio and Christie began when the Florida senator targeted Christie for New Jersey’s credit rating downgrading. Christie then hit back by criticizing Rubio for a pre-written speech about remaking the U.S. into “the single greatest nation in the history of the world” and saying former President Barack Obama “knows exactly what he’s doing.” (RELATED: The Rumors Of Marco Rubio’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated)
“That’s what Washington D.C. does. The drive-by shot at the beginning with incorrect and incomplete information and then the memorized 25-second speech that is exactly what his advisors gave him,” Christie responded. “See, Marco, the thing is this. When you’re president of the United States, when you’re governor of a state, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how great America is at the end of it, doesn’t solve one problem for one person. They expect you to plow the snow.”
Rubio then accused Christie of having to be forced into returning to his state during a massive snowstorm. He then repeated the claim Obama “knows exactly what he’s doing.”
“There it is, the memorized 25-second speech,” Christie hit back.
Rubio led Christie in the polls throughout the 2016 campaign. He finished second in South Carolina and Nevada and garnered the third most delegates, losing to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.