The Strategy Behind the Chris Christie-Scott Walker Phony War
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker listens during a campaign stop at the GOP Field office September 29, 2014 in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Photograph by Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesMADISON, Wis.—A week ago, the Washington Post's Robert Costa followed Governor Scott Walker around his state and watched him mash the panic button. “We are always looking for more help,” said Walker. “Our main help has to be the [Republican Governors Association].”
Two days later, the RGA upped its commitment to Walker's race, from $900,000 in the homestretch to $2 million. In the meantime, The Weekly Standard's resident cheesehead, Steve Hayes, had channeled some of the frustration of “a number of top Wisconsin Republicans,” who worried that RGA chairman Chris Christie was “tanking Walker.” They were not quieted by Costa's update. They alleged that the RGA had put in around half as much as claimed, $3 million to the reported total of $6 million.