In a delightful spot of news, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election campaign has reportedly netted some big bucks.

The “Chris Christie For Governor” campaign said in a Monday statement that nearly $6.2 million in funds from an “unprecedented” 14,260 contributors have come in since Christie announced his candidacy in November.

“Governor Christie’s style of strong leadership continues to resonate and draw an unprecedented show of support for the Governor’s re-election from inside and outside of the state, and from across the donor spectrum,” William J. Palatucci, Christie for Governor Chairman, said.

Going along with the “unprecedented” support, Christie is heavily favored to win re-election, despite his lead over Democratic challenger state Sen. Barbara Buono dropping to 30 points from 42, according to an April-released poll by Rutgers-Eagleton.

Naturally, this lead hasn’t gone over very well with Christie naysayers. In this gem of a piece, Don Hazen for Salon.com outlines why “liberals should fear Chris Christie.”

“Christie’s record speaks for itself, and his kind words for Scott Walker should erase any doubt: Christie is no moderate. His worldview should be anathema to progressives anywhere. He’s also dangerous because he’s popular and is a strong contender for the Republican nomination in 2016. A landslide victory in 2013 will be a launching pad for his 2016 race – ‘I won a bipartisan landslide in a blue Northeastern state (one that Barack Obama won by 18 points and Bob Menendez won by 20 points), I tamed the unions, and I can make a conservative message work everywhere from New Jersey to New Mexico. Being able to point to labor support will only bolster his case,” Hazen wrote.

I hope it’s a landslide victory precisely so Christie can say all of the above.

New Jersey