In what could be a pivotal moment in the Christie campaign, New Hampshire’s Union Leader has endorsed him for President.

John Kasich hardest hit.

Though Kasich is not cited in any way (which is almost as bad as being cited negatively), the Union Leader does take aim at Marco Rubio (with an indirect hit at Ted Cruz and Rand Paul):

We don’t need another fast-talking, well-meaning freshman U.S. senator trying to run the government. We are still seeing the disastrous effects of the last such choice.

But trust me. Kasich is going to be reeling from this news.

Governor Kasich has been pinning all his hopes and dreams on winning New Hampshire — especially since Jeb Bush seems out of the running.

This endorsement for Christie may have effectively derailed Kasich’s chances.

Chris Christie is a solid, pro-life conservative who has managed to govern in liberal New Jersey, face down the big public unions, and win a second term. Gov. Christie can work across the aisle, but he won’t get rolled by the bureaucrats. We don’t need as President some well-meaning person from the private sector who has no public experience.

New Hampshire is a moderate state. To be fair, I never expected the Union Leader to endorse Cruz, Paul or Rubio. Nor did I expect them to venture so far off the plantation as to endorse Carson or Trump. They are strictly from the “a Governor should be President” school of thought. Huckabee, though a governor, is (*gasp*) really conservative compared to Christie and (*gasp*) Southern. So that pretty much left Christie, Kasich or Bush as possible recipients of their endorsement.

As middle-of-the-road, reach-across-the-aisle as the paper may be, The Union Leader is nonetheless a plum endorsement for the upcoming primary. And choosing Christie over Kasich or Bush is a real kick in the nuts to the other two moderate Governors running.

I think it’s fair to say of Bush and Kasich, Governor Kasich is hardest hit by this endorsement of Christie. He’s pinned all his hopes of remaining viable in 2016 on New Hampshire. Failing to secure the endorsement of the Union Leader tosses a wrench in his singular path to victory.

A lot of people are asking, will this endorsement help lift Christie up out of the lower tier?

Maybe not. It may help him win New Hampshire, but honestly, it’s hard to say. This election season is unlike any we have had in quite some time.

If anything, the Union Leader endorsement will probably have the greatest impact on Kasich. And not in a good way. My guess is, if Kasich fails to even place in New Hampshire, his campaign will be effectively dead in the water.

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