Christie stumps for MacArthur in Bordentown diner

     Gov. Chris Christie stumps for third district candidate Tom MacArthur at Mastoris diner in Bordentown. (Katie Colaneri/WHYY)

    Gov. Chris Christie stumps for third district candidate Tom MacArthur at Mastoris diner in Bordentown. (Katie Colaneri/WHYY)

    New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been crisscrossing the United States campaigning for his fellow Republicans. But until this week, Christie had yet to lend a hand to candidates in the Garden State.On Thursday, 3rd Congressional District candidate Tom MacArthur was the beneficiary of a Christie diner dash, shaking hands and snapping selfies with lunchtime patrons at the Matsoris Diner in Bordentown, Burlington County. Earlier this week it was Jeff Bell who is running agains U.S. Senate Cory Booker.

    “There’s great anxiety in the country,” Christie said, recalling a conversation with a woman he met in Vero Beach, Florida last week.  

    “She goes, ‘Governor what’s happening to our country? We used to control events, now events control us.'”

    Christie said that’s why the stakes are so high and the fights so bitter among Republicans and Democrats in this year’s midterm elections. 

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    However, the race to replace retiring Rep. Jon Runyan has lost some of its heat in recent weeks, with polls showing MacArthur leading by 10 points.

    His Democratic opponent, Burlington County freeholder Aimee Belgard has done most of her campaigning out of the media spotlight. However, she has had some big Democratic names stump on her behalf at private fundraisers. The list includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and most recently Vice President Joe Biden.

    One race that is surprising close in New Jersey features Rep. Scott Garrett trying to fend off Democratic challenger Roy Cho in the 5th district in North Jersey.  A recent poll shows Cho just five percentage points behind Garrett, the most conservative member of the New Jersey delegation.  When Christie was asked if he would hit the campaign trail with Garrett, he responded “I haven’t been invited to.”

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