By Trista Merrival
Pine Ridge, S.D.

Voters in Princeton say Chris Christie doesn’t make the mark in the 2016 presidential race. People interviewed by the Princeton Summer Journal on July 31 said the Governor is not cooperative and doesn’t have the profile to get the Republican nomination.

Christie’s poll numbers have recently dropped in his home state, in part due to the increase in time he has spent on the campaign trail in pursuit of the 2016 Republican nomination. However, voters still like that he expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in New Jersey.

Ricardo Dummodie, a 24-year-old graduate student who has lived in New Jersey for two years, said that “Chris Christie is not much of a statesman.”

Dummodie said he would not vote for Christie because he lacks perspective and doesn’t work well with others.

He added that Christie is rude and not very considerate. “He is vindictive and doesn’t think rationally,” he said.

Natalie Roy, a real estate agent from Arlington, Virginia and a registered Democrat, agreed that Christie is too conservative to meet the needs of the people. She said he can’t handle climate change, gun control, or environmental concerns.

Like many voters, Roy also cited the 2013 Bridgegate scandal as an example of Christie’s abuse of power.

The Republican side is getting “ridiculous,” she said, before responding to a question about voting for Chris Christie with “Never!”

Roy said she is voting for Hillary Clinton and “would love to see Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton.”

Adults are not the only ones skeptical about a Christie presidency. Sixteen-year-old Joshuel Calderon from Florida told the Princeton Summer Journal that he would not vote for Chris Christie if he was old enough to participate in the election.

“New Jersey pays a lot of taxes,” Calderon said, citing an example of how much his grandmother pays. If Christie were to be president, Calderon thinks that he would raise taxes for everyone.

Calderon stated that he would not vote for Christie, but he would vote for Donald Trump because he is the better candidate. “What I like is Donald Trump is super honest. You know, he’s blunt and he might offend some people, but people are taking to the direct message,” he said. “I do think he’d be a better fit for president because he is going to tell you honestly.”