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 The New Jersey governor's struggle to cope with problems at home
and his slow start on the campaign trail have raised questions about
his viability at a time when other potential Republican candidates
are busy raising money and hiring staff.
Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, an early Christie mentor,
diagnosed Christie's problem on Friday after The Washington Post and
The New York Times published stories detailing the defection of
Christie donors to Bush, the former Florida governor, and others.
"I think you've got to make sure you have the right national staff,
and I'm not sure he's done that yet," Kean said in a telephone
interview. "If you haven't been around this track before it's
treacherous. ... He's been slow putting that kind of team together."
Christie's challenge is to get past this rocky period and hang on
until later this year when the candidate debates begin. The debates
would allow Christie to use his natural speaking prowess to his
advantage.
"He may well win those debates. He's just very, very able,
regardless of the record, regardless of what you think of him,
regardless of anything else," Kean said.
 But whether Christie can hang on that long is an open question.
During trips to Iowa, which holds the first nominating contest early
next year, Christie has received credit for showing up. But many of
the state's conservatives harbor doubts because he has governed from
the middle in Democratic-leaning New Jersey.
Christie ranks in the middle of the pack in polls of Republican
voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, which holds the second nominating
contest and where Christie needs to do well to outlast other likely
big-name contenders like Bush, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker,
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
"I think he's waking up to the reality that this isn't quite what he
thought it would be," said a Republican strategist familiar with the
workings of the Christie camp. "It isn't as easy as he thought it
would be."
The Christie camp is making the case that the governor has
substantial support in the donor community.
Officials at Christie's political action committee, pushing back
against the idea his financial support was eroding, released a
lengthy list of donors and event hosts who are sticking with him.
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Ray Washburne, finance chair for Christie's Leadership Matters for
America PAC, said Bush's early exploration of a presidential
campaign gave him an advantage, but there is still plenty of time
for Christie and others to organize.
"The fact that he's jumped ahead with donors hasn't concerned us too
much. We're going to get the governor's events started in earnest in
March," Washburne said.
Fred Malek, a major Republican fundraiser, said Bush has a
substantial financial advantage but there is room for others.
"While Bush will vastly out raise all comers, leading candidates ...
will have sufficient funds to be competitive," he said.
Christie has weathered a series of local troubles in the past year,
chiefly over the "Bridgegate" scandal involving alleged political
payback against a New Jersey mayor. In another complication, New
Jersey has struggled to regain jobs lost during the recession.
But Christie remains determined to stay in the nascent 2016
campaign, say those familiar with his plans.
"I think it's difficult for him but I don't think it's going to slow
him down," said another Republican strategist familiar with the
Christie camp's thinking.
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by John Whitesides
and Leslie Adler)
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