Nearly every story on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) landslide re-election win last night suggested he would use it as a justification to run for president in 2016.
The New York Times called it "a victory that vaulted him to the front ranks of Republican presidential contenders and made him his party's foremost proponent of pragmatism over ideology."
The Washington Post says "his victory in a solidly blue state will be touted as a model for a party that needs to expand its coalition in national campaigns."
Christie even used his victory speech to sound themes he might use in a presidential race, from hitting Washington dysfunction to touting his bipartisan support.
Still, there are many things that should concern Christie supporters if he makes a White House run:
1. As First Read notes, Christie lost voters ages 18-29 to challenger Barbara Buono (D), 51 percent to 49 percent. "This is less a Christie issue than a larger problem for the GOP. The GOP's age gap is growing, and the fact that younger voters are becoming so loyal to the Dem Party is something that is a long-term issue."
2. Jonathan Chait points out that Christie's "ideological deviations are not fake. They're real. Christie has openly endorsed gun control, called for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, and conceded the legitimacy of climate science." None of these positions will endear him the the GOP base in presidential primaries.
3. As has been highlighted in the new book, Double Down, Christie may have skeletons in his closet that prevented Mitt Romney from choosing his as his vice presidential running mate in 2012.
4. Even though Christie won by more than 20 points, exit polls suggested he would lose in a head-to-head match up against Hillary Clinton, 48 percent to 44 percent.
