By: Jordan Baker

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is pointing the finger at President Trump for the Republican Party’s bruising losses in last year’s Garden State elections, arguing that the president’s deep unpopularity with New Jersey voters doomed GOP candidates down the ballot, as the New York Post reported.

In a wide-ranging radio interview aired Sunday, Christie said Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli was “dragged down” by his close association with Trump, leading to a landslide victory for Democrat Mikie Sherrill, who defeated Ciattarelli by 14 percentage points, according to the Post.

“It was an absolute disaster,” Christie said during an appearance on 77 WABC’s “Cats Roundtable,” the New York Post reported. “We lost the governorship by 14 points. We lost five seats in the New Jersey General Assembly, which means we’re now at the lowest number since Watergate.”

Christie, once a prominent Trump ally before their bitter falling out, said the party’s strategy in New Jersey ignored basic political math. He noted that Republicans cannot win statewide races in the Garden State without strong support from independent voters — a bloc that he said Trump has alienated, according to the Post.

“The problem for Jack Ciattarelli was when he tied himself so close to the president, a lot of independents in New Jersey were turned off by that,” Christie said.

Christie emphasized that for the first time in many years, a Republican gubernatorial candidate lost independents outright to Democrats — a fatal outcome in a state with roughly 850,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, the New York Post reported.

“If that happens, you have no chance of winning,” Christie said.

According to Christie, President Trump’s brand plays far better in other parts of the country than it does in New Jersey, making a full MAGA strategy uniquely damaging in the state, the Post reported.

“The fact is, the president is not nearly as popular in the state of New Jersey as he is elsewhere,” Christie said. “Jack made himself 100% MAGA. That really, really hurt him. It wasn’t a narrow loss — it was a huge one.”

Christie said the election results have left New Jersey Republicans politically weakened at a time when Democrats continue to dominate Trenton. He warned that residents are likely to face even higher taxes, pointing to already soaring corporate, property, and income tax rates, as the New York Post reported.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they raised taxes again this June,” Christie said.

Still, Christie argued that New Jersey remains better positioned than neighboring New York, stressing that Gov. Sherrill is not a hard-left progressive like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to the Post.

“New Jersey is a very tough place,” Christie said. “But I bet you it will be better than New York.”