And yet, without a clear, top-tier establishment alternative to hitch their wagon to, many donors are left with a menu of less-than-ideal options, ranging from right-wing firebrands like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, to B-team governors like Scott Walker of Wisconsin or John Kasich of Ohio. In fact, it’s gotten so bad, the operative said, that some donors have started looking back fondly on the good old days of 2012: “You know what a lot of them say to me? I think we need Mitt back.”

Welcome to the world of big-money Republican fundraising in the wake of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's bridge scandal, a world in which a top GOP fundraising operative tells BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins that "people are jumping ship" from the Christie bandwagon because they think "there's probably a 60 percent chance the other shoe will drop." Apparently, it's a situation that leaves Republican donors feeling depressed about their 2016 prospects—and nostalgic for 2012:If the good old days are the days in which you were stunned to lose a presidential election that wasn't even close, you're in some pretty big hurt. But given that Christie trails Hillary Clinton by 13 points in the latest national survey, a drop of 10 points from one month earlier, maybe Mitt is the good old days, relatively speaking.

Meanwhile, Christie's troubles haven't been lost on Romneyworld, which still holds a grudge against the New Jersey Governor for having abandoned Mitt's campaign to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.



Several former Romney donors and staff told POLITICO that their alumni network has been buzzing over revelations that Christie’s staff was involved in lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that caused massive traffic jams, and were allegedly politically motivated. Some view it as a vindication of Romney’s decision not to tap Christie as his running mate, while others have merely watched in amusement.

It's hard to argue that Christie's troubles aren't vindication for Romney's decision to pass him over for the vice presidential nomination, but even if that's the case, it doesn't change the fact that before the bridge scandal erupted Christie was still the Republican Party's best hope for 2016. And the pathetic thing for the GOP is that even after the scandal has become public, he still might be the best they've got.