GOP lawmaker who backed Trump welcomes Christie's support

A Republican state senator who endorsed businessman Donald Trump over Gov. Chris Christie when he was in the presidential campaign is welcoming the governor to the team.

Sen. Michael Doherty said Christie's endorsement of Trump on Friday should make it easier for Trump to win the June 7 New Jersey primary.

"I think it's great news that he's endorsing Donald Trump," said Doherty, who represents a conservative district in northern New Jersey.

Christie announced he would back the billionaire New York businessman and Republican front-runner on Friday at a news conference in Fort Worth, Texas. His endorsement came the day former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman announced her support for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, saying he's the only "voice of reason and optimism in a very loud room."

Christie endorses Trump, who he said in December had ‘no idea what he’s talking about’

Doherty backed Trump in October, while much of the rest of the state's GOP establishment, including the party's two top leaders in the Legislature and the state party chairman, backed Christie.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 700,000 voters in New Jersey, but Doherty said he thinks Trump's ideas on immigration, trade and the Middle East transcend typical right-versus-left politics. Trump has said he would build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, U.S. trade negotiators are weak and it's risky to take in Syrian refugees because terrorists could be among them.

Other New Jersey Republicans did not immediately embrace Christie's endorsement of Trump, whose unfavorable rating was at 57 percent in the most recent Rutgers Eagleton poll of state voters.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. and Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick did not respond immediately when asked if they would back Trump. Kean pointed out that Christie has "always emphasized his preference for a candidate with executive" experience.

Doherty had earlier criticized Christie for not doing enough to help Republicans get elected when he ran for re-election as governor in 2013, saying he could have done more campaign events. But that's in the past, Doherty said, predicting the state party would get behind Trump.

"I'm thrilled that means New Jersey is going to coalesce behind his candidacy," he said.