Any race that pits Mr. Christie against Mr. Trump is bound to be especially personal. Mr. Trump seemed to find joy in belittling Mr. Christie from the White House; Mr. Christie blamed Mr. Trump for giving him a bout of Covid that left him gravely ill and hospitalized. In interviews with New Jersey voters, Mr. Christie’s assets and liabilities were repeatedly described as two sides of the same coin. And to Trump loyalists who might prefer that Mr. Christie retreat permanently to his beach house in Bay Head, it was much the same refrain: He is not Mr. Trump. After dropping out of the 2016 presidential contest, Mr. Christie became one of Mr. Trump’s biggest boosters.

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Persons: Christie, Mr, Trump, “, ” David Philips, ” Mr, Philips Organizations: New, Democrats, Trump Locations: New Jersey, Bay, Trenton