Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will be coming to the Regina A. Quick Center of the Arts at Fairfield University on Wednesday, Nov. 7 to discuss the midterm elections and the future of Connecticut following its election of a new governor.
Christie, who has served a long tenure in the world of politics, will provide, “a candid assessment of the ups & downs, winners & losers across a broad spectrum of local and critical decisions,” commented Philip Eliasoph, Ph.D. in an email conversation with The Mirror, who will be moderating discussion at the event. “Our intention is to gain from Gov. Christie his ‘inside baseball’ knowledge of how the wheels of the electoral process function,” continued Eliasoph. Christie was the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2002-08, and Governor of New Jersey from 2010-2018. He now serves as a senior legal and political commentator for ABC News.
A portion of the event will focus on Connecticut’s gubernatorial election, which took place along with the midterm elections, on Nov. 6. The race between Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Bob Stefanowski was a toss-up right until election day, and was too close to call as of 1:30 A.M on the morning of Nov. 7. The campaigns focused heavily on the economy, which has regressed over the past decade. “Connecticut has fiscal problems and Governor Christie can help us open this important dialog. We need problem solvers. I can think of no better place to start this conversation but at Fairfield University with someone who has spent eight years leading this very effort,” wrote Fairfield University’s College Republicans President Sophia Dondero ‘19 in an email to The Mirror. By the time Christie is speaking on Nov. 7, Connecticut will have chosen its new governor and Christie will be able to shed light on the election as well as on what the new governor of Connecticut has in store for the state.
Christie will also be discussing the national midterm elections. The midterms with likely have a significant impact on national politics, as Democrats took the majority in the House of Representatives and Republicans retained a majority in the Senate. This will disrupt the unified Republican government that President Trump has enjoyed during his tenure in office so far and will potentially make it harder for the President to pass legislation through Congress. Chris Christie’s take on the midterms should be interesting, especially considering his brief tenure as a member of Trump’s administration. Christie was originally in charge of Trump’s transition into office after his 2016 election, but was fired from this job after two days in favor of Vice President Mike Pence. Christie was also appointed by Trump as the Chairman of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, where he led a seven month investigation before reporting his findings to the White House. President Trump and Christie apparently still have close relations, which has led many to believe that Christie may have a future as a member of Trump’s administration. Christie will potentially discuss the future of national politics after the midterms and as well as his tenure working with President Donald Trump.
This event will inform attendees of political information that only an insider such as Christie would know. “I’m interested to hear his perspective. I think it’s good that he’s coming the day after the election,” said Alex Sanders ‘19, President of the Model United Nations club.
While there are set topics for the event, there will also be a portion dedicated to audience questions and a panel discussion moderated by the aforementioned Dr. Eliasoph. Sitting on the panel will be Liz Kurantowicz and Jennifer Schneider, who appear on “Capital Report” on WTNH-Channel 8, as well as Dondero and Fairfield University College Democrats Co-President Sabina Dirienzo ‘19 respectively. Due to the broadness of the event topics and the presence of questions from both the audience and the panel, Christie will likely touch on a wide range of political developments in both Connecticut and the United States.
This is an event not to miss if you are interested in the political future of the country and the state of Connecticut. The event will take place at 8 p.m and is open to the public. While a ticket is necessary to attend, the event is completely free. Tickets are free but must be reserved by calling or visiting the Quick Center box office. If anything, come to see how the votes you cast on Tuesday will affect your future.
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