METUCHEN, N.J. — The former campaign workers who partied at the home of Barbara Buono this month were “just jubilant.” The people she bumps into on the street “are just happier to greet me.” And amid the deluge of supportive texts she receives, there are often pictures of Gov. Chris Christie sitting on the George Washington Bridge. She chuckles but doesn’t reply.

The Fort Lee traffic jam scandal has unleashed a wintry mix of subpoenas, tortured apologies and fresh allegations against Mr. Christie, a Republican, and potentially put a deep freeze on his presidential chances. But the same revelations have had a warming effect on Ms. Buono, the Democratic nominee who badly lost to Mr. Christie in the November election and bitterly complained about the betrayal of Democrats who barely lifted a finger to help her. Ms. Buono has gone from media piñata, Democratic pariah and Keystone Candidate to the Cassandra of the Christie scandal, whose October warnings about “the unexplained closure of two lanes starting in Fort Lee” went unheeded by most fellow Democrats.

Now, as Democrats unload daily on Mr. Christie and hound him as he travels around the country, Ms. Buono nonchalantly greets well-wishers in snow boots, cords and leather bomber jacket at a local cafe. Bewildered by the belated timing of the Democratic attacks, which she attributes to “buyer’s remorse,” she wonders if the party might not have more wisely spent money on challenging the governor during the actual race.

And while she would prefer to talk about the “beautiful” emails she gets from supporters, including one from “what’s his name? I’m really bad with names. I can admit that now,” she has clearly not forgotten the names of the prominent Democrats who forgot her.