Corbett's Plan To Introduce Christie To Primanti's Disrupted By Demonstrators
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- This campaign event for Gov. Tom Corbett didn't go exactly as planned.
Corbett had hoped to bring New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the front door of Primanti's in the Strip District and enjoy a couple of sandwiches.
Neither happened.
"No more years, no more years," chanted anti-Corbett demonstrators outside Primanti's only to be met by a pro-Corbett contingent, shouting, "Four more years. Four more years."
With the front entrance blocked, Corbett and Christie had to enter through a back door.
In the meantime, Primanti's called 911 to get police to unblock their entrance.
The New Jersey Republican governor made it clear why he was here.
"I'm here today because Tom Corbett has a great record of accomplishment in this state, and I'm going to work as hard as I can between now and November to make sure people hear that message and they reelect him," he said.
As for taunts by demonstrators about Christie's alleged closing of the George Washington Bridge, Christie said, "Anybody who brings that up is someone who has nothing to say about what's going on in Pennsylvania."
Christie, chair of the Republican Governors Association, told KDKA political editor Jon Delano that re-electing Corbett was top priority.
Delano: "What does that mean?"
Christie: "That means I'm going to spend a lot of money here, that's what it means."
Delano: "A lot of money?"
Christie: "Yes. That's how you define a top priority when you're a leadership committee."
Originally, the governors were going to eat sandwiches at the counter.
"Good pastrami on a black angus. Maybe a bologna. New Jersey governor might like a bologna and a kielbasa," suggested Toni Haggerty, a 30-year cook at Primanti's.
But both governors declined, although Christie said he'd take a sandwich to go.
"You think I'm gonna eat in front of you guys?" he joked with reporters. "Forget about it. Not gonna happen, not with all these cameras here."
This was billed as a campaign event for Corbett, but in the end you had to ask yourself, was this really for Chris Christie and his campaign in 2016 for president of the United States?
But the loud boos of Gov. Corbett as he exited Primanti's made it clear this year's election for governor of Pennsylvania comes first.
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