Whether you love him, hate him, or are simply ambivalent, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has thrown his hat into the ever-growing pool ocean of potentials for the GOP presidential nomination. Here’s his full announcement from earlier this morning:

It was a decent speech, I’ll give him that. But Governor Christie has a proverbial uphill battle ahead of him, particularly with the GOP base. Remember this photo following the devastating Hurricane Sandy?

Cringe. Worthy. And frankly, many on the Right have yet to forgive him for what some saw as aiding and abetting Obama’s re-election.

And these issues, among others, will dog him relentlessly:

• Though he was re-elected by a wide margin, Governor Christie’s approval ratings have since taken a hit following the so-called “BridgeGate,” though widely touted as a media creation to assist Hillary Clinton.
• Under Governor Christie, New Jersey has seen nine credit downgrades, most recently due to its public employee pension shortfall.
• He’s potentially shot himself in the foot, pun untended, by uttering these dreaded two words: “gun control.”
• And his stance on illegal immigration has been schizophrenic at best, anywhere from supporting in-state tuition—aka “tuition equality” for illegals that many see as just another magnet that further encourages illegal immigration—to advocating for E-Verify, to opposing a “path to citizenship.”

He’d best have logical explanations, or he’ll sink before he’s even begun treading water.

All that said, Christie, like Donald Trump, is bombastic, and unapologetic, jumping in to an interesting, diverse field of candidates, albeit peppered with a handful of squishy, pandering Republicans.

Only time will tell whether or not Christie will rise in the polls—he’s currently pulling a measly 2% of polled voters—and propel himself onto the GOP debate stage come August. And should he make the coveted Top Ten, between he, and the politically incorrect Donald Trump, that first debate will be a popcorn-worthy barn burner.