After cozying up in the aftermath of last year’s Hurricane Sandy, the relationship between President Obama and newly re-elected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie may have gone south.
In a statement late Tuesday night, the White House said the president personally called Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe, New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and Boston Mayor-elect Martin Walsh, all Democrats. There was no phone call to Mr. Christie, a Republican and likely 2016 presidential candidate who cruised to a landslide re-election in the Garden State on Tuesday.
Of the calls to the three Democrats, the White House said Mr. Obama “congratulated each of them on their election victories and vowed to work with them in the months ahead to expand economic opportunity for middle-class families in their communities.”
It’s not surprising that a Democratic president wouldn’t call a Republican governor — especially one with White House aspirations — to congratulate him on re-election.
But the relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Christie, on the surface, appeared to be different.
The two men had a highly publicized “bromance” after Superstorm Sandy battered New Jersey last year, just weeks before Mr. Obama won re-election by defeating Republican Mitt Romney.
Mr. Christie had nothing but kind words for the president in the days leading up to the election, and the two men appeared to have developed something of a personal bond.
It’s not surprising that a Democratic president wouldn’t call a Republican governor — especially one with White House aspirations — to congratulate him on re-election.
But the relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Christie, on the surface, appeared to be different.
The two men had a highly publicized “bromance” after Superstorm Sandy battered New Jersey last year, just weeks before Mr. Obama won re-election by defeating Republican Mitt Romney.
Mr. Christie had nothing but kind words for the president in the days leading up to the election, and the two men appeared to have developed something of a personal bond.
