Christie's bet on Trump pays off
With Trump having effectively clinched the Republican presidential nomination following a bruising primary fight, Christie now sees vindication of what had been a divisive choice in his home state and his inner circle.
Trump's rise comes when Christie's favorability in New Jersey is at an all-time low and the end of his second and final term as governor is approaching in 2018 — all after his own GOP presidential candidacy failed.
"When someone with the stature of the governor of New Jersey offers an endorsement, that is an investment," said Peter Woolley, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor.
Christie, who helped raise more than $100 million as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, could also help Trump get access to the party's biggest donors, some of whom share Ryan's hesitancy about the presumptive nominee.
[...] Trump will headline a fundraiser this month to help Christie repay own presidential campaign debt, followed by a $25,000 per person fundraiser for the state's Republican Party.
Trump has drawn criticism for pledging to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants from entering the country illegally and for hesitating before denouncing Ku Klux Klan figure David Duke, who said not voting for Trump was "treason to your heritage."