According to a report from NJ.com published on Wednesday, New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Kim Guadagno (R) has been financially shunned by the Trump-controlled Republican National Committee (RNC) over her alleged disloyalty to President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, specifically at the height of the Access Hollywood tape controversy.
Guadagno, who currently serves as the New Jersey lieutenant governor under embattled Governor Chris Christie, is lagging in the polls and therefore campaign contributions, and RNC insiders say she’s equally losing out on cash — estimated millions — due to her disloyalty to Trump.
“[The president] is unhappy with anyone who neglected him in his hour of need,” the insider told NJ.com, referring to Guadagno’s reaction to Trump’s “reprehensible comments degrading women” on the leaked Access Hollywood tape.
The resurfaced tape showed Trump and TV host Billy Bush speaking disparagingly about women. Notably, Trump bragged about women letting him have his way with them due to his fame, dropping the infamous “grab ’em by the p****” line.
“Christie was not as stalwart as some people in the party, but at least he didn’t go against him the way she did,” noted the RNC insider.
Former Governor Christie Whitman (R-NJ) also lent credence to the claim by the RNC insider: “[Guadagno] went down there, and the (Republican National) Committee was reluctant to back the campaign in the way one would have expected. The implication was, ‘Well you were not a Trump supporter in the primary, and so don’t expect much money,'” he stated.
Compounding her financial pain, top fundraisers for Governor Christie are also shunning the gubernatorial candidate, reportedly due to Guadagno’s disloyalty to Christie.
The lieutenant governor made headlines by posting a public slam of the governor for catching some rays on a beach closed off to the public during a state shutdown.
“If I were governor, I sure wouldn’t be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didn’t have access to state beaches. It’s beyond words,” wrote Guadagno in a Facebook post.
Moreover, the candidate can kiss goodbye the prospect of big bucks from the Republican Governors Association, a group also disinterested in spending large amounts of cash on Guadagno.
“We’re building our team of individuals who are working hard to raise money for Kim Guadagno’s positive message of property tax relief for New Jersey,” Ricky Diaz, a spokesman for Guadagno’s hurting campaign, told NJ.com.