Washington Insiders Say Chris Christie 'Won' 2013: Republican Gov Vastly Outdid Top Public Figures

After a whirlwind year of crippling partisanship, bungled policy rollouts, and a government shutdown, most public figures are leaving this year with quite a few more chips to their image than they had in January. Except maybe one.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—a growing puzzle for Democrats and continuing headache for his fellow Republicans—emerged as the winner of 2013 on the political stage, according to a National Journal Political Insiders poll.

The lawmaker's good year is something insiders, Democratic and Republican influencers on the Hill, can agree on. Sixty percent of Democrats said Christie had the best 2013 of political figures, while 71 percent of Republicans said the same. The runners-up were barely any competition, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton scoring 24 percent from Democrats and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, pulling a mere 11 percent from GOP insiders.

"Nobody else came out of 2013 looking good, let alone better," says one Republican insider "He's the man to beat in the GOP," says one Insider. http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/washington-insiders-say-chris-christie-won-2013-20131213