Sharing a handful of close friends and financial backers, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has done everything he could to keep his steamroller campaign for re-election far away from Joe Lhota’s bid for City Hall. The snubbing of Lhota is intentional, ABC news reports.

Sources told ABC there’s no chance Christie would get involved in Lhota’s campaign, despite the governor’s penchant for involving himself in New York City political issues. “He just can’t do it,” one person said of Christie casting in with Lhota.

According to Joh Margolin, the “Mall cops” comment meant Christie could never do anything for Lhota. The PA has a police union that looms large in New Jersey politics, and that organization was the first public-sector union to publicly endorse Christie this year. Christie worked hard to secure the nod and he wasn’t going to do anything to cause a rift with the PA cops.

Beyond that, according to insiders, Christie simply views Lhota’s campaign as a sure loser, and Christie doesn’t bet on losers. Christie expects – like all observers – that New York Democrat Bill de Blasio will win the mayor’s race, and, if he does, Christie will have quite a bit of business to transact with the new mayor because of the considerable role the New Jersey governors plays through the Port Authority.

At the televised debate, Tuesday night, Mr. Lhota repeatedly apologized for those remarks, saying his biggest regret is saying that the Port Authority Police are nothing more than mall cops. Nevertheless, Mr. de Blasio seized on the opportunity to bash his opponent. “He insulted law-enforcement officials,” Mr. de Blasio said. “That’s not what a mayor does. A mayor unifies. A mayor shows respect.”

Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts declined to comment.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)