Top Republican: Christie’s Shore Protection Is “Stupid”

Could it affect his presidential campaign?

Chris Christie is coming under fire for his plan to widen beaches and build protective dunes along the entirety of New Jersey’s 127-mile coastline. The critic? A top New Jersey Republican whose help might be vital if Christie — as expected — seeks the presidency.

AP reports that Lawrence Bathgate, who has owned a home on the beach at Bay Head since 1972, said the shore plan is “stupid.”

“Stupid is stupid; you can call it what it is,” said Bathgate, who was the national Republican finance chairman under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and who raised money for both of George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns. “The science and the economics don’t support what they are doing. This sand will wash away in short order.”

The plan, of course, is a response to Hurricane Sandy, which did $37 billion damage to the state in 2012.

Shortly afterward, Christie announced the state would fortify its entire coastline with replenished beaches and — in many but not all spots — protective sand dunes. If property owners refused to sign easements for the work, the state would take the land through the legal process of eminent domain. He has publicly criticized the holdouts, calling them selfish.

Neither Bathgate nor a Christie spokesman would speak about the possible ramifications of the dispute on a possible Christie presidential campaign.