Trump-Free Debate Reminded Voters Of Accomplished Slate Of Governors

A big difference between the GOP presidential primary debate on August 23 and the first primary debate of the 2016 cycle is that the current field is more dominated by governors rather than senators. The governors on stage at the first debate in Milwaukee — namely Governors Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Doug Burgum, and Chris Christie — received high marks for their performance and in some cases a boost in the polls.

Polling indicates Governor DeSantis acquitted himself well. Widely praised debate performances were also turned in by former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Haley, who served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 until she was appointed to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 2017, saw a relatively large boost in support following the August debate, according to multiple polls.

The Milwaukee debate, which more than 14 million people tuned in for, reminded Americans about a development that has been overshadowed in age of Donald Trump, which is the rise over the past decade of an accomplished crop of Republican governors, many of whom were elected chief executive of their state at a comparatively young age and have been considered White House material since before Trump came down the escalator in 2015.

While analyzing this cycle’s first primary debate on the Commentary Magazine daily podcast, Matthew Continetti, the American Enterprise Institute’s director of domestic policy studies, said he was surprised to hear Chris Christie touting his record as the two-term governor of a blue state. But why should that be surprising? Chris Christie achieved meaningful conservative victories despite governing in a blue state whose legislature is controlled by Democrats. Many voters will find Christie’s record, once they know the highlights, indicative of the sort of skill set that would be useful for a new administration seeking to navigate Washington dysfunction and enact significant policy changes.

During his two terms as governor, Chris Christie convinced a Democratic-controlled House and Senate to send him legislation repealing the state death tax and enacting pension reform that will save taxpayers $130 billion over 30 years. Democrats in the New Jersey House and Senate wanted a gas tax increase, but Christie insisted he would only consider one if it were paired with greater tax relief elsewhere.

In exchange for raising the state gas tax, Governor Christie was able to phaseout New Jersey’s estate tax and approve other tax relief that more than offset the size of the gas tax increase. Aside from the tax cuts he signed into law, Christie also vetoed billions of dollars in tax hikes that Democrats in the legislature sent to his desk.

Nikki Haley took a similar position during her time as governor of the Palmetto State. Republican lawmakers in Columbia pushed Haley to raise the gas tax just like their Democratic counterparts in Trenton did when Chris Christie was in office. Haley responded by telling legislators she would consider a fuel tax, but only if it were paired with income tax relief of equal or greater size. South Carolina legislators were ultimately able to enact their long-sought after fuel tax hike, but not until Haley left the state to join the Trump administration.

Not only did Christie enact tax relief lauded by conservatives despite sizable Democratic majorities in the state legislature, he also has record of conservative budgeting that other governors and Republicans at the federal level do not possess. In fact, when Christie was running against eight other current and former governors in 2016, he had a more conservative record on spending than all but one. As was highlighted at the time in a report by Strategas Research Partners’ Dan Clifton, Christie was able to boast a more conservative record on spending than Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Perry.

“Gov. Christie has kept state spending below the rate of inflation, vetoed new tax increases, took the first step to reform the state’s pension system and enacted a historical property tax reform that for the first time in decades will finally slow the growth of the highest property taxes in the nation,” Clifton wrote in that 2015 report. Clifton also pointed out that Christie, unlike the other accomplished governors he was up against, “did this with strong Democratic majorities in the legislature.”

If people like Continetti who closely follow American politics and policy for a living dismiss such a record or are surprised that Christie would highlight it, chances are slim that the average voter is aware of it. That’s why Christie and other candidates were wise to use a nationally televised debate to remind voters of their records

Expect Haley, Christie, DeSantis, and others on stage at the next presidential debate, which will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on September 27, to continue to tout their accomplishments in office. They have records containing much that voters will like, but face a media that is not interested in helping them highlight their achievements. That is why the debates are such an important forum for Republicans, one where they can communicate directly with millions of voters.