this should endear Christie to the baggers: GOP darling Christie to visit Vermont

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, invited to the state by a moderate group within the Vermont GOP, will be the featured guest next month at the party’s “Welcome Winter Gala” fundraiser.

The event, hosted by Lt. Gov. Phil Scott and Stowe Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, is being held at the Robert E. Miller Expo Centre in Essex Junction on Dec. 11. A digital invitation featuring Christie’s name was distributed to party members Thursday morning and promises Vermont food, beverages and entertainment.

Christie cruised to re-election Tuesday by a comfortable margin — 60 percent to 38 percent — over his Democratic challenger Barbara Buono in the blue-leaning Garden State. The governor, known for speaking bluntly and being unafraid to clash with conservatives in his own party, is widely viewed as a contender for the GOP’s presidential nomination in 2016.

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Scott took a lead role in organizing next month’s event after having been critical of conservative Republican guest speakers at previous GOP events. Recent fundraisers have featured Steve Forbes, who ran for president in 1996 and 2000, and Maine’s tea party-backed Gov. Paul LePage, who was raising money for Randy Brock, the GOP’s unsuccessful 2012 gubernatorial candidate.

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Scott said he and a team of moderate Vermont Republicans looking to re-brand the state party decided that Christie, somewhat of a maverick and moderate on the national GOP stage, would be appropriate for Vermont. Scott said he hopes Christie’s visit will serve as the launch of a new direction for the Vermont GOP, turning away somewhat from the national party.
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20131108/NEWS03/711089974

A little about Scott:

He's a republican, but this is Vermont and you can't be a winger type here and get elected to office. He's the only repub in state wide office. He strikes me as not a bad guy but he's way more moderate than Christie who isn't moderate at all:

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Scott isn’t the only lieutenant governor without a big office, big budget and body guards, but he said Vermont’s liberal reputation and his own moderate Republican politics sometimes make him feel like a bit of an outsider at national gatherings.

He recalled a previous meeting of lieutenant governors in which support of fracking came up for a vote. “I think I was the only one voting no.”

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http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com/politics/2013/07/01/vermont-lt-gov-phil-scott-tests-politics-of-the-republican-lieutenant-governors-association/

In addition to being against fracking, he's for assisted suicide and immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. He's pro-choice and when in the VT Senate voted for marriage equality.