New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — a possible presidential contender in 2016 — campaigned Thursday with fellow Republican Gov. Nathan Deal on the steps of Roswell’s City Hall, urging a large crowd of supporters to turn out for Deal at the polls on Election Day.
Christie, also the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, praised Deal’s record on education and the economy and promised to return to Georgia by Nov. 4.
“The reason why we are here and supporting Governor Deal is not because of just the political party he belongs to,” Christie said of the RGA. “It’s because of the type of leadership that he has brought. It’s the honesty and the integrity that he brings every day to his job in making the decisions that the people of Georgia are counting on him to make.
“The fact is you can’t replace that. You shouldn’t replace it. And I don’t believe you will replace it on Nov. 4.”
Deal is locked in a tight race for re-election against Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter, a grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. Recent polls show the race is close. Several of Carter’s supporters waved campaign signs on the edge of Deal’s event in Roswell.
Democratic leaders in New Jersey and Georgia criticized Christie’s appearance with Deal, noting both states have unemployment rates that are higher than the nation’s, though Georgia’s rate dropped slightly this month.
“There’s a special place for folks like Chris Christie and Nathan Deal, but it ain’t in Georgia,” Georgia Democratic Party Chairman DuBose Porter said in a prepared statement.
Porter then mocked Deal’s recent statement that “water kills the Ebola virus,” saying: “I’m not sure why the governor of New Jersey is campaigning for Deal — it makes as much sense as trying to wash Ebola off your hands with water. But I guess when you’re at the bottom of every ranking that matters, you’ll take advice from just about anyone.”
Deal told The Marietta Daily Journal he heard about water’s power to kill Ebola from Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, the commissioner of the state Department of Public Health. She pointed to World Health Organization guidelines that said washing hands with soap and water can help prevent contamination, and she referred to media reports that said Ebola can survive only a few minutes in water.
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said the governor has been working to ensure there’s a plan in place for health officials and emergency responders in case an Ebola infection pops up here.
“He’s by no means downplaying the danger,” Robinson said. “On the contrary, he’s making sure Georgians are educated on the issue and prepared.”
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