Stepping up his attacks on Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul questioned the conservative bona fides of the New Jersey governor for expanding Medicaid and “embracing Obamacare.”
The Kentucky Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate was asked Tuesday whether possible 2016 hopefuls Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could be considered conservatives.
“I don’t think any one person gets to decide what is or what isn’t conservative,” Paul said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront.” “On the case of the New Jersey governor, I think embracing Obamacare, expanding Medicaid in his state is very expensive and not fiscally conservative.”
New Jersey is one of a handful of states with Republican governors that have expanded Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. Paul pointed to the number of Republican-controlled states that had not as evidence of Christie’s position.
“Many Republican governors I would say are conservative did resist expanding and accepting Obamacare in their states,” Paul said. “That fact, I would say, would lead towards you making the conclusion that it is not a very conservative proposal.”
Paul and Christie have engaged in a war of words for months over disagreements that reflect a split in the Republican Party more broadly, as both are believed to be strong contenders for the presidential nomination in 2016.
Read more at POLITICO.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
