See The Life History of 55th Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie
Christopher James "Chris" Christie (born September 6,
1962) is an American politician who has been the 55th Governor of New Jersey since January 2010.
Born in Newark in 1962, Christie volunteered for the gubernatorial
campaign of Republican Thomas Kean when he was fifteen years old. A 1984 graduate of the University of Delaware, Christie earned a J.D. at Seton
Hall University School of Law.
Christie joined a Cranford, New Jersey, law firm in 1987, became a partner in 1993, and continued practicing until 2002. He was
elected county
freeholder Morris
County, serving from 1995 to 1998. By 2002,
Christie had campaigned for Presidents George H. W. Bush
and George W. Bush; the latter appointed him as United States Attorney for New Jersey, a position he held from 2002 to 2008.
In January 2009, Christie declared
his candidacy for Governor of New Jersey. He won the Republican primary, and defeated incumbent
Governor Jon Corzine in the election
that November. In 2013, he won
re-election as Governor,
defeating Democrat Barbara Buono, and was sworn in to a second term on January 21, 2014. On
November 21, 2013, Christie was elected Chairman of the Republican
Governors Association.
Christie was seen as a potential
candidate in the 2012
presidential election, and though not running, he was the
keynote speaker at the 2012
Republican National Convention.
On June 30, 2015, Christie announced his
candidacy for the Republican
nomination in the 2016
presidential election. He suspended his candidacy on
February 10, 2016.
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Christopher James "Chris" Christie (born September 6,
1962) is an American politician who has been the 55th Governor of New Jersey since January 2010.
Born in Newark in 1962, Christie volunteered for the gubernatorial
campaign of Republican Thomas Kean when he was fifteen years old. A 1984 graduate of the University of Delaware, Christie earned a J.D. at Seton
Hall University School of Law.
Christie joined a Cranford, New Jersey, law firm in 1987, became a partner in 1993, and continued practicing until 2002. He was
elected county
freeholder Morris
County, serving from 1995 to 1998. By
2002, Christie had campaigned for Presidents George H. W. Bush
and George W. Bush; the latter appointed him as United States Attorney for New Jersey, a position he held from 2002 to 2008.
In January 2009, Christie declared
his candidacy for Governor of New Jersey. He won the Republican primary, and defeated incumbent
Governor Jon Corzine in the election
that November. In 2013, he won
re-election as Governor,
defeating Democrat Barbara Buono, and was sworn in to a second term on January 21, 2014. On
November 21, 2013, Christie was elected Chairman of the Republican
Governors Association.
Christie was seen as a potential
candidate in the 2012
presidential election, and though not running, he was the
keynote speaker at the 2012
Republican National Convention.
On June 30, 2015, Christie announced his
candidacy for the Republican
nomination in the 2016
presidential election. He suspended his candidacy on
February 10, 2016.[1]
Early
life, education, and family
Christie was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Sondra A. (née Grasso) and Wilbur James
"Bill" Christie, a certified public accountant. His father is of
German, Scottish, and Irish descent, and his mother was of Sicilian ancestry.
Christie's family moved to Livingston, New Jersey, after the 1967 Newark riots,] and Christie lived in Livingston until he
graduated from Livingston
High School in 1980. At Livingston High School,
Christie served as class president,
and played catcher for the baseball team. Christie's father and mother were
Republican and Democratic, respectively. He has credited, however, his
Democratic-leaning mother for indirectly making him a Republican by encouraging
him in 1977 to volunteer for the gubernatorial candidate who became his role
model: Tom Kean Christie had become interested in Kean after Kean, then a
state legislator, spoke to Christie's class while Christie was in junior high
school
Christie graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in political science
in 1984 and Seton
Hall University School of Law
with a J.D. in 1987. Christie was admitted to the New
Jersey State Bar Association
and the Bar of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in December 1987. Later in life, he was awarded honorary
doctorate degrees by Rutgers University and Monmouth University.
In 1986, Christie married Mary Pat Foster,
a fellow student at the University of Delaware. After marriage they shared a studio apartment in Summit, New Jersey. Mary Pat Christie pursued a career in investment banking, eventually working at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald;
she left the firm in 2001 following the September 11 attacks Through April 2015 she was a managing director at the Wall Street
investment firm Angelo,
Gordon & Co.
Christie and his wife have four
children; two boys: Andrew (b. 1993) and Patrick (b. 2000) and two girls: Sarah
(b. 1996) and Bridget (b. 2003) The family resides in Mendham
Township. His hobbies have included coaching
Little League, cheering for the New York Mets,
and attending Bruce Springsteen concerts (over 120 of them). In addition to the Mets,
Christie's other favorite sports teams are the New York Knicks,
New York Rangers and Dallas Cowboys.
Law
practice and local politics
Lawyer
In 1987, Christie joined the law
firm of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci of Cranford, New Jersey. In 1993, he was named a partner in the firm. Christie
specialized in securities law, appellate
practice, election law, and government affairs. He is a member of the American
Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar
Association and was a member of the Election Law Committee of the New Jersey
State Bar Association. From 1999 to 2001, Christie was registered statehouse lobbyist for Dughi
and Hewit.
Morris
County Freeholder
Christie volunteered for President George H. W. Bush's
1992
re-election campaign in New Jersey, and became close to
Bush's state director, Bill Palatucci. Following the campaign, Christie decided
to run for office, and moved to Mendham
Township. In 1993, Christie launched a
primary challenge against the New Jersey Senate
Majority Leader, John H. Dorsey. However, Christie's campaign ended after Dorsey
successfully challenged the validity of Christie's petition to appear
on the ballot.
In 1994, Christie was elected as a Republican to the Board of Chosen
Freeholders for Morris
County, New Jersey, after he and a running mate
defeated incumbent freeholders in the party primary. Following the election, the
defeated incumbents filed a defamation
lawsuit against Christie based on statements made during the primary campaign.
Christie had incorrectly stated that the incumbents were under "investigation"
for violating certain local laws. The lawsuit was settled out of court, with
Christie acknowledging that the prosecutor had actually convened an
"inquiry" instead of an "investigation", and apologizing
for the error, which he said was unintentional.
As freeholder, Christie required the
county government to obtain three quotes from qualified firms for all
contracts. He led a successful effort to bar county officials from accepting
gifts from people and firms doing business with the county. He voted to raise
the county's open space tax for land preservation; however, county taxes on the
whole were decreased by 6.6% during his tenure. He successfully pushed for the
dismissal of an architect hired to design a new jail, saying that the architect
was costing taxpayers too much money. The architect then sued Christie for
defamation over remarks he made about the dismissal, eventually dropping the
suit without explanation.
In 1995, Christie announced a bid
for a seat in the New Jersey
General Assembly; he and attorney Rick Merkt
ran as a ticket against incumbent Assemblyman Anthony Bucco
and attorney Michael Patrick Carroll in the Republican primary. Christie ran as a pro-choice
candidate and supporter of the ban on assault weapons.
Bucco and Carroll, the establishment candidates, defeated the up-and-comers by
a wide margin. After this loss, Christie's bid for re-nomination to the
freeholder board was unlikely, as unhappy Republicans recruited John J. Murphy
to run against Christie in 1997. Murphy defeated Christie in the primary.
Murphy, who had falsely accused Christie of having the county pay his legal
bills in the architect's lawsuit, was sued by Christie after the election. They
settled out of court with the Freeholders admitting wrongdoing and apologizing.
Christie's career in Morris County politics was over by 1998.
Lobbyist
When Christie's part-time position
as a Chosen Freeholder lapsed, he returned full attention to his law firm
Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci. Alongside fellow partner and later, gubernatorial
campaign fundraiser Bill Palatucci, Christie's firm opened an office in the
state capital, Trenton, devoted mainly to lobbying. Between 1999 and 2001, Christie
and Palatucci lobbied on behalf of, among others, GPU Energy
for deregulation of New Jersey's electric and gas industry; the Securities
Industry Association to block the inclusion of
securities fraud under the state's Consumer Fraud Act; Hackensack
University Medical Center for state
grants; and the University of Phoenix for a New Jersey higher education license. During the 2000
presidential election, Christie served as George W. Bush's
campaign lawyer for the state of New Jersey.
United
States Attorney
Appointment
On December 7, 2001, President George W. Bush
appointed Christie the U.S.
Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Some members of the New Jersey Bar professed disappointment at Christie's lack
of experience. At the time, he had never practiced in a federal courtroom
before, and had little experience in criminal law. Christie received the
overwhelming support of the Republican Party in New Jersey. A spokesperson for
Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco, who selected nominees for the position,
said that he received hundreds of letters of support for Christie "from
everyone from the Assembly speaker down to the county level, close to every
member of the Legislature and every county chairman." Christie was also a
top fundraiser for Bush's 2000
presidential campaign. He helped raise $350,000 for Bush,
qualifying him as a "Pioneer", and also donated to DiFrancesco.
Democrats seized upon the role played by Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove,
after Christie's law partner, William Palatucci, a Republican political
consultant and Bush supporter, boasted that he had selected a United States
attorney by forwarding Christie's résumé to Rove. According to New Jersey's
senior Senator, Bob Torricelli, Christie promised to appoint a "professional"
with federal courtroom experience as deputy if confirmed. By Senate tradition,
if a state's senior Senator opposes the nomination of a U.S. Attorney, the
nomination is effectively dead, but Christie's promise was enough for
Torricelli to give the nomination his blessing. He was unanimously confirmed by
the United States Senate on December 20, 2001, and sworn into office on January 17,
2002.
The brother of Christie's uncle (his
aunt's second husband), Tino Fiumara,
was an organized crime figure; according to Christie, the FBI presumably knew that when they conducted his background
check. Later, Christie recused himself from the case and commented about what
he had learned growing up with such a relative: "It just told me that you
make bad decisions in life and you wind up paying a price."
Enforcement
record
Christie, c. June 2004, served as
the United States Attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008.
Christie served as the Chief Federal
Law Enforcement Officer in New Jersey from January 17, 2002, to December 1,
2008. His office included 137 attorneys, with offices in Newark, Trenton, and Camden. Christie also served on the 17-member Advisory
Committee of U.S. Attorneys for
Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales.
Soon after taking office, Christie
let it be known that his office would make public corruption a high priority,
second only to terrorism. During his eight-year tenure, he received praise for
his record of convictions in public corruption cases. His office convicted or
won guilty pleas from 130 public officials, both Republican and Democratic, at the state, county and local levels The most notable of
these convictions included those of Democratic Hudson
County Executive Robert C. Janiszewski in 2002 on bribery charges, Republican Essex
County Executive James W. Treffinger in 2003 on corruption charges, former Democratic New Jersey Senate
President John A. Lynch, Jr., in 2006 on charges of mail fraud and tax
evasion, State Senator and former Newark
Democratic mayor Sharpe James in 2008 on fraud charges, and Democratic State Senator Wayne R. Bryant
in 2008 on charges of bribery, mail fraud, and wire fraud
According to Rachel Barkow
and Anthony Barkow, both of NYU
Law School, Christie negotiated seven deal deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) during his tenure, some of which were controversial.[ Under agreements like these, corporations
avoid prosecution if they promise not just to obey the law or pay for bad acts,
but also promise to change personnel, or revamp business practices, or adopt
new types of corporate governance. They are typically used in lieu of
prosecution when there is evidence of particularly egregious corporate
misconduct. Since 2002, these types of agreements have been sharply on the rise
among federal prosecutors, with 23 between 2002 and 2005, and 66 between 2006
and 2008. Outside monitors are appointed in about half of all DPAs, to make
sure that the corporations comply. In one case, Christie recommended
appointment of The Ashcroft Group, a consulting firm owned by his former boss John Ashcroft,
as an outside monitor of Zimmer Holdings—a
contract worth as much as $52 million from Zimmer, which was an amount in
line with fee structures at that time. In another instance, Christie's office
deferred criminal prosecution of pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers
in a deal that required the company to dedicate $5 million for a business
ethics chair at Seton
Hall University School of Law,
Christie's alma mater.
Christie defended the appointment of
Ashcroft as someone with the necessary prominence and legal acumen, and he
defended the Seton Hall donation as happenstance given that there was already a
business ethics endowed chair at the only other law school in the state. Still, cases like these led to new rules
within the Justice Department, and sparked a congressional hearing on the
subject.
Besides doubling the size of the
anticorruption unit for New Jersey, Christie also prosecuted other federal
crimes. For example, he obtained convictions of brothel owners who kept Mexican
teenagers in slavery as prostitutes, convicted 42 gang members of the Double II Set
of various crimes including more than 25 murders, and convicted British trader Hemant Lakhani
of trying to sell missiles. Despite claims of entrapment,
Lakhani was convicted by jury in April 2005 of attempting to provide material
support to terrorists, unlawful brokering of foreign defense articles, and
attempting to import merchandise into the U.S. by means of false statements,
plus two counts of money laundering. He was sentenced to 47 years in prison.
In 2007, Christie prosecuted the
planners of the averted 2007 Fort
Dix attack plot, which he has frequently mentioned
as a career highlight.
During the second term of George W.
Bush, a controversy arose about the
administration's dismissal of several U.S. attorneys, allegedly for political reasons. When it was revealed that
Christie had been on a preliminary version of the hit list, New York Senator Charles Schumer
said: "I was shocked when I saw Chris Christie's name on the list last
night. It just shows a [Justice] department that has run amok." Pat Meehan,
the U.S. attorney in Philadelphia, said: "Among his peers, Chris stands
out as one of the most admired. If you were to create a list of the U.S.
attorneys who have had the greatest impact, Chris would be one of the top two
or three names I'd put on it. This defies explanation."
Christie's opponents claimed that he
had gotten off the Bush administration's hit list by going after Congressman Robert Menendez;
for example, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman
wrote, "Menendez's claims of persecution now seem quite plausible."
Christie had issued a subpoena regarding Menendez 65 days before the 2006 Senate election,
in which Menendez defeated Republican Thomas Kean, Jr.
to become New Jersey's junior Senator. Christie's biographers (journalists Michael Symons and Bob
Ingle) concluded that, "The timing of the Menendez-related subpoena
doesn't line up right to support the critics' theory." Christie's aides
have said that the subpoena was prompted by a newspaper report about Menendez,
which prosecutors feared might imminently lead to destruction of documents and
other evidence. The investigation of Menendez continued for years after
Christie left office as U.S. Attorney, until Menendez was finally cleared on
October 5, 2011.
Governor
of New Jersey
Main article: Governorship
of Chris Christie
Campaign
for office
See also: New
Jersey gubernatorial election, 2009
Christie's campaign bus pulls out
front of Stainton Square in Ocean City, New Jersey.
Christie filed as a candidate for
the office of Governor on January 8, 2009. Former Governor Thomas Kean helped Christie campaign and raise money. In the primary on
June 2, Christie won the Republican nomination with 55% of the vote, defeating
opponents Steve Lonegan and Rick Merkt.
He then chose Kimberly Guadagno, Monmouth
County sheriff, to complete his campaign ticket as a candidate for lieutenant
governor. On November 3, Christie defeated Jon Corzine
by a margin of 49% to 45%, with 6% of the vote going to independent candidate Chris Daggett.
Christie took office as Governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010. He chose not to move his family into Drumthwacket,
the governor's official mansion, and instead resides in a private Mendham
Township, New Jersey, residence.
Positions
on issues and actions as governor
Fiscal
Christie has promised not to raise
taxes. He has also vowed to lower the state income and business taxes, with the
qualification that this might not occur immediately: "I'm not saying I'm
cutting taxes in the first year. The first thing we have to do is get our
fiscal house in order, and that's going to be tough."
During his term as Governor,
Christie delivered balanced budgets annually for the state as required by the New Jersey
Constitution. He claims to have done so without
increasing taxes, though this has been debated as he has made reductions to tax credits
such as the earned
income tax credit and property tax relief programs.
Under Christie, there have so far been no rate increases in the state's top
three revenue generators: income tax, sales tax, and corporate business tax.
Christie originally proposed a 10
percent income tax cut for all residents of the State, but he later targeted
his proposal for people earning less than $400,000 per year, and it would be in
the form of an income tax credit equal to 10 percent of their property taxes,
capped at $10,000 (phased in over four years).[74]
The Democratic-controlled state legislature has refused to implement it to
date, taking the view that there would never be enough money to fund a tax cut.[74]
Christie at a town hall in March
2011
On February 11, 2010, Christie
signed Executive Order No. 14, which declared that a "state of fiscal
emergency exists in the State of New Jersey" due to the projected
$2.2 billion budget deficit for the current fiscal year (FY 2010). In a
speech before a special joint session of the New Jersey Legislature on the same day, Christie addressed the budget deficit and
proposed various fiscal measures to close the gap. Christie also suspended
funding for the Department
of the Public Advocate and
called for its elimination. Some Democrats criticized Christie for not first
consulting them on his budget cuts and for circumventing the Legislature's role
in the budget process. In late June 2011, Christie utilized New Jersey's line item veto
to eliminate nearly $1 billion from the proposed budget, signing it into
law just hours prior to the July 1, 2011, beginning of the state's fiscal year.
IN 2010, Christie signed legislation
to limit annual property tax growth to 2 percent.
During his second year in office,
Christie signed into law a payroll tax cut reducing funding of the Temporary
Disability Insurance (TDI) fund by $190 million per year. Effective
calendar year 2012, the tax cut authorizes the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to reduce payroll deduction for most employees from $148 to
$61 per year. According to Labor Commissioner Harold J. Wirths, New Jersey
workers had been paying much more into the disability fund than what is needed
to keep it solvent. The changes took effect on January 1, 2012.
Under Christie's governorship, New
Jersey's credit rating has been downgraded nine times (across Standard & Poor,
Fitch Ratings, and Moody's
Investors Service), leaving only Illinois with a
lower rating among US states.
As Governor of New Jersey, Christie
has received grades of B in 2012 and B in 2014 from the Cato Institute,
a libertarian think tank, in their biennial Fiscal Policy Report Card on
America's Governors.
Tax
credits and incentives
On September 18, 2013, Christie
signed legislation to overhaul the state's business tax incentive programs. The
legislation reduces the number of tax incentive programs from five to two,
raises the caps on tax credits, and allows smaller companies to qualify. It
increases the credits available for businesses in South Jersey.
Public
employee pensions
In March 2010, Christie signed into
law three state pension reform bills, which had passed with bipartisan support.
The laws decreased pension benefits for future hires and required public
employees to contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries toward their health care.
The laws prompted a lawsuit by the police and firefighters' unions. In his
campaign for governor, Christie opposed any change in pension benefits for
firefighters and law enforcement officers, including "current officers,
future officers or retirees". He described the pension agreement as
"a sacred trust".
Later that year, he called for
further cuts, including the elimination of cost-of-living adjustments for all
current and future retirees. In June 2011, Christie announced a deal with the
Democratic leadership of the legislature on a reform of public employee
pensions and benefits. The deal raised public employees' pension contributions,
mandated the state to make annual payments into the system, increased public
employee contributions toward health insurance premiums, and ended collective
bargaining for health benefits. The reform is projected to save the state
$120 billion over 30 years.
In June 2013, Christie signed a
$33 billion state budget that makes a record $1.7 billion payment to
the state's pension fund and also increases school funding by almost
$100 million. The budget resulted from negotiations between Christie and
Democratic leaders in the state legislature and was the first that Christie has
signed as passed, without vetoing any of its provisions.
In May 2014, Christie cut the
contributions to New Jersey public workers' pension funds for a 14-month period
by nearly $2.5 billion to deal with a revenue shortfall in the state
budget of $2.75 billion. The state will instead make a $1.3 billion
payment during the period. Christie cited the state constitution's requirement
to have a balanced budget for his decision to cut payments to pensions for
state workers, and follows Christie's changes to the state’s pension formula
earlier in 2014 to save $900 million through the end of his term.
Education
Christie, whose own children attend Catholic parochial school,
is a strong supporter of the state granting tax credits
to parents who send their children to private and parochial schools.
He also supports the introduction of state-funded vouchers,
which parents of students in failing school districts could use to pay the
tuition of private schools, or of public schools in communities other than
their own which agree to accept them. Christie supports merit pay
for teachers.
On August 25, 2010, the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services
announced $400 million in federal Race to the Top
education grants to New Jersey would not be funded due to a clerical error in
the state's application made by an unidentified mid-level state official.
Christie responded by saying that the Obama administration bureaucracy had overstepped its authority and that the
error lay in an administration failure to communicate with the New Jersey
government. However, information later came to light that the issue had already
been raised with Christie's Education Commissioner Bret Schundler,
and in response Christie had asked for Schundler's resignation; Schundler
initially agreed to resign, but the following morning asked to be fired
instead, citing his need to claim unemployment benefits. Schundler maintained
that he told Christie the truth and that Christie was misstating what actually
occurred.
In January 2011, the Christie
administration approved 23 new charter schools, including the state's first
independent school for children with autism. The approvals increased the number
of charter schools in the state to 96.
On August 6, 2012, Christie signed a
law reforming the tenure system for New Jersey public school teachers. Under
the new law, teachers will be required to work four years, instead of three, in
order to earn tenure. Additionally, teachers will need to earn positive ratings
two years in a row before tenure can be awarded. Tenured teachers with poor
ratings for two consecutive years will be eligible for dismissal. Finally the
law limits the hearing process for appeals related to dismissal of tenured
teachers to 105 days.
On March 6, 2013, the Christie
administration released proposed regulations to overhaul the process of
evaluating public school teachers in New Jersey. Under the proposal, a
percentage of teachers' evaluations would be based on student growth on state
tests or based on student achievement goals set with principals.
In September 2014, Christie signed a
partnership with Mexico on a higher education project to foster economic
cooperation. The program will focus on research ventures, cross-border
fellowships, student and teacher exchanges and conferences—among other
educational opportunities.
Energy
and environment
Christie has stated that he believes
that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is too big and is "killing business" with permit
delays and indiscriminate fines. He announced that, if elected, the agency
would be his first target for government reduction: he would reduce its
workforce and strip it of its fish and wildlife oversight.
Christie has stated that he intends
to simultaneously spur growth in the state's manufacturing sector and increase
New Jersey's capability to produce alternative energy. He has proposed a list of policy measures to achieve this,
including giving tax credits to businesses that build new wind energy
and manufacturing facilities, changing land use rules to allow solar energy on permanently preserved farmland, installing solar
farms on closed landfills, setting up a
consolidated energy promotion program, and following a five-to-one production
to non-production job ratio in the creation of new energy jobs. In August 2010,
legislation to encourage the development of wind power
in New Jersey was signed by Christie at the Port of Paulsboro
The Offshore Wind Economic Development Act authorized New
Jersey Economic Development Authority
to provide up to $100 million in tax credits for wind energy facilities.[106]
The governor has pledged to ban coal-fired power plants, and to reach 22.5%
renewable generation in the state by 2021.
On May 26, 2011, Christie announced he
would pull the state out of Regional
Greenhouse Gas Initiative. This was
challenged in court which ruled in March 2014 that Christie had acted illegally
in doing so since state regulations do not permit it. His administration is
seeking to repeal the rules.
Hydraulic
fracturing
Christie has rejected permanent bans
on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in New Jersey and vetoed measures that would ban
the process and disposal of hydraulic fracturing waste in the State. New Jersey
has few proven shale reserves and the process is not practiced there. Christie
argued that the vetoed Senate Bill (S253) was premature because of an ongoing
study to be completed in 2014 and would discriminate against other states, a
violation of the Dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Supporters of legislation have
said that hydraulic fracturing waste from Pennsylvania makes its way into New Jersey for
treatment, although how much is not clear. They also criticized Christie's
legal analysis saying that the Office of Legislative Services have said that
the bill is constitutional.
Exxon
Mobil environmental contamination lawsuit
Christie's settled a lawsuit with Exxon Mobil
by allowing the corporation to pay $225 million in damages for environmental
contamination at two sites, less than 3% of the $8.9 billion that the state's
lawyers had sought, and extended the compensation to cover other damages not
named in the original lawsuit. Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club
called this move "a violation of the public trust." The New Jersey
State Senate also condemned the deal. The previous gubernatorial
administration, that of Democrat Jon Corzine, had also attempted to settle with
Exxon, for $550 million, though this offer was made before a 2009 ruling that
strengthened the state's bargaining position.
Supreme
Court nominations
By tradition since the 1947 state
constitution, the seven member New Jersey
Supreme Court maintains a political balance and
is composed of four members of either the Democratic Party or Republican Party
and three of the other. Christie broke with the tradition in May 2010 when he
chose not to renominate Justice John E. Wallace, Jr. Christie had said the court "had inappropriately encroached
on both the executive and legislative function, and that if elected governor, I
would take steps through the decisions I made regarding the court to bring back
an appropriate constitutional balance to the court." Since taking office,
Christie has been in a major conflict with the New Jersey Legislature over the court's partisan balance. The stand-off between
the governor and the New Jersey Senate
has resulted in longstanding vacancies, with temporarily assigned appellate
judges filling in.
Minimum
wage and equal pay for women
In January 2013, Christie vetoed a New Jersey Legislature bill that would have raised the minimum wage
from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour. The following November, the issue was placed on
the ballot as a constitutional amendment referendum, passing with 61% of the
vote.
On September 21, 2012, Christie
signed Assembly Bill No. 2647 (A-2647) into law that requires employers to post
and distribute notice of employees' rights to gender-equal pay, but
conditionally vetoed other gender parity bills, requesting revision.
Farm
animal welfare
In June 2013, Christie vetoed S1921,
an animal welfare bill introduced by the Humane
Society of the United States
to prohibit the use of gestation crates
on pregnant pigs in the state. The bill had passed in the General
Assembly with a vote of 60–5 and the Senate 29–4. A
2013 survey by Mason-Dixon
Polling & Research Inc. showed
91% of New Jersey voters supported the legislation. An attempt to override the
veto did not come to a vote. In October 2014 a similar bill banning gestation
crates, S998, was proposed with a vote in the Senate of 32–1 and in the
Assembly of 53–13 (with 9 abstentions) While campaigning in Iowa in November in
a conversation with the former president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association
indicated he would veto the bill. He did so on November 27, 2014. The bill's
sponsor, Senator Raymond Lesniak, has vowed to override it.
Immigrants
and immigration laws
Christie emphasizes the need to
secure the border, and believes it is premature to discuss legalization of
people who came to the United States unlawfully.[137]
While serving as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Christie
stressed that simply "[b]eing in this country without proper documentation
is not a crime," but rather a civil wrong; and that undocumented people
are not criminals unless they have re-entered the country after being deported.
As such, Christie stated, responsibility for dealing with improperly documented
foreign nationals lies with U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
not the U.S. Attorney's Office.[138]
Christie has been critical about section
287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act, enacted in 1996, which can be used to grant local law enforcement officers
power to perform immigration law enforcement functions.
In December 2013 Christie signed
legislation allowing unauthorized immigrants who attend high school for at
least three years in New Jersey and graduate to be eligible for the resident
rates at state college and universities and community colleges.
Homosexuality
and same-sex marriage
Christie favors New Jersey's law
allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions,
but said he would veto any bill legalizing same-sex
marriage in the state,[71]
saying, "I also believe marriage should be exclusively between one man and
one woman.... If a bill legalizing same sex marriage came to my desk as
Governor, I would veto it." He expressed concern with the recognition of
civil unions, however, and has strongly advocated for more stringent laws to
protect and strengthen civil unions. On February 13, 2012, the State Senate
passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage by a vote of 24 to 16, and on
February 16, the Assembly passed it by a vote of 42 to 33, with three Republicans and
one Democrat not voting, and one seat temporarily vacant. In neither house was
the bill passed by a veto-proof majority. Governor Christie vetoed the bill the
next day and called for a constitutional amendment for same-sex marriage to be
presented to the voters as a ballot referendum. He also called for creation of
an ombudsman
to ensure compliance with the state's existing civil
union law.
Christie's veto was overturned in a
court decision in the Garden
State Equality v. Dow case, in
which the judge stated New Jersey was "...violating the mandate of Lewis
and the New Jersey Constitution's equal protection guarantee". Following
the decision, the Christie administration immediately asked the state Supreme
Court to grant a stay of the decision pending appeal, which was denied on October
18, 2013 in a 7–0 decision of the court which stated that it could "find
no public interest in depriving a group of New Jersey residents of their
constitutional right to equal protection while the appeals process unfolds".
Three days later Christie withdrew the state's appeal.
Christie believes that homosexuality
is innate, having said “If someone is born that way, it’s very difficult to say
then that that’s a sin.” On August 19, 2013, Christie signed a bill outlawing gay conversion therapy for children, making New Jersey the second state to
institute such a law. The law was challenged in the courts with Christie, in
his official capacity as governor, named an appellee. In September 2014, a
panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law, saying it did
not violate free speech or religious rights.
Abortion
In his early political career,
Christie was pro-choice, stating in an interview that "I would call myself ...
a kind of a non-thinking pro-choice person, kind of the default position".
Later on Christie evolved his position to be against abortion: "I
am pro-life. Hearing
the strong heartbeat of my unborn daughter 14 years ago at 13 weeks gestation
had a profound effect on me and my beliefs." He has stated, with respect
to his opposition to abortion, that he would not use the governor's office to "force
that down people's throats", but does favor restrictions on abortion such
as banning partial-birth
abortion, requiring parental notification, and imposing a 24-hour waiting period.
In 2014, campaigning in Alabama for
incumbent governor Robert Bentley,
Christie stated that he was the first "pro-life governor" elected in
New Jersey since Roe v. Wade in 1973. He also stated that he had vetoed funding for Planned Parenthood five times as governor. In March 2015, Christie joined
other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates in endorsing a ban on
abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
On August 4, 2015, Christie stated
that he has used birth control other than the rhythm method This discussion was
made during a town hall meeting when Christie was talking about his Catholic
faith.
Medical
marijuana and legalization for recreational use
The "New Jersey Compassionate
Use Medical Marijuana Act" was enacted in January 2010. As of 2013 New
Jersey is one of 20 states where medical marijuana
is available. In August 2013 Christie signed a bill to ease restrictions for
children in the program. Christie is opposed to legalization of recreational
marijuana use. He believes marijuana to be a gateway drug
and that taxes from its sale are "blood money".Christie said he would
"crack down" on states that have ended the prohibition of cannabis if he
were president.
Vaccination
Christie responded to calls by
President Obama to prevent the spread of measles by saying that parents should
have a choice. The governor's office said that he "believes vaccines are
an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is
no question kids should be vaccinated", but that he was unaware of a free
national program to provide new parents with a vaccine checklist.
Firearms
On December 20, 2010, Christie
signed a letter ordering the release of Brian Aitken,
who had been sentenced to seven years for transporting three guns within the state
Christie has said that each state
has the right to determine firearms laws and that the federal government should
not interfere in the making of guns laws for New Jersey. When announcing his candidacy in 2009 he said he supported
strict and aggressive enforcement of the state's current gun laws. In 2013 he
chose not to defend a legal challenge to the state's most stringent gun law
which requires individuals to prove an urgent threat of violence before getting
permits to carry handguns. On July 2, 2014, Christie vetoed legislation that
would have reduced the allowed legal size of ammunition magazines. Instead he re-wrote it, proposing a new standard for involuntary commitment of people who are not necessarily deemed dangerous “but
whose mental illness, if untreated, could deteriorate to the point of harm” as
well as other forms of involuntary mental health treatments. Christie had
previously vetoed proposed legislation that would bar the state pension fund
from investing in companies that manufacture or sell assault firearms for
civilian use and a bill to prohibit the sale of .50-caliber rifles to civilians
In July 2015, Christie vetoed a bill passed the Assembly by a 74–0 (six
abstentions) and the Senate by a 38–0 (2 abstentions) which would required
anyone seeking to have their mental health records expunged to purchase a
firearm to notify the State Police, their county prosecutor and their local
police department when petitioning the court.]
In October 2015, the New Jersey Senate voted to override Christie's veto.
Transportation
Christie has raised tolls and fares,
which he calls “user fees” on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway,
Hudson River crossings and NJ Transit buses and trains during his
administration to fund projects throughout the state. In 2014, Christie
authorized the increase of numerous other fees charged by the state for various
licensing and administrative fees.
In 2010, Christie cancelled the Access to
the Region's Core project, which would have constructed
two new tunnels under the Hudson River and a new terminal station in New York
City for NJ Transit commuter trains He cited possible cost overruns as the
reason for his decision. Proponents of the project said it would have created
6,000 construction jobs per year and 45,000 secondary jobs once complete. After
the cancellation, New Jersey had to return $95 million to the federal
government, and used $1.8 billion of Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey
money from the project budget to pay for repairs to the Pulaski Skyway,
since the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund that should fund such
maintenance is effectively bankrupt. The termination of the project has made
the need for increased rail capacity under the Hudson River more urgent, and Amtrak's Gateway Project
to bore new tunnels is currently unfunded.
Hurricane
Sandy
See also: Hoboken
Sandy relief funds investigation
On December 28, 2012, the U.S. Senate
approved an emergency relief bill to provide $60 billion for states
affected by Hurricane Sandy. The
House did not vote until the next session on January 3. On January 2, Christie
criticized the delay as "selfishness and duplicity", and blamed the
House Republican leadership. A bill for relief was passed in the House on
January 15.
Starting in 2014, the U.S.
Department of Justice started an investigation of
Christie for making state grants of Hurricane Sandy relief funds to New Jersey
cities conditional on support for other projects
Visit
to the Middle East
Continuing the tradition of earlier
New Jersey governors since the 1980s, Christie traveled to Israel in April
2012. His itinerary in that region included Jerusalem,
Tel Aviv, Tiberias, and the Golan Heights.
During the visit, which included meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres,
Christie commented that "Jerusalem
has never been better or freer than under Israeli control. Christie
subsequently called a helicopter tour of the West Bank
"eye-opening", and cautioned against Israeli withdrawal from the West
Bank, Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. The official title given to the trip was
"Jersey to Jerusalem Trade Mission: Economic Growth, Diplomacy,
Observance".The visit to Israel was Christie's first official overseas
trip since taking office. From Israel
Christie continued with his family to Jordan, as
guests of King Abdullah II.
2013
re-election campaign
Main article:
New Jersey gubernatorial election, 2013
On November
26, 2012, Christie filed papers to run for a second term in office, which would
begin in January 2014. Christie won the election over Barbara Buono on November
5, 2013, by a large margin, earning himself the position of governor for a
second straight term. His advisors say that his strategy was to focus on
winning a huge margin in New Jersey against Democratic opponent Buono, which
would
help position the governor for the
presidential primaries and develop a model for other Republican candidates.
Christie began building a national fundraising network, aided by the fact that
only one other state had a gubernatorial contest in 2013, and those financial
resources were intended to support a major outreach effort toward blacks,
Hispanics and women. He also ordered a $25 million special election
to fill the seat of the deceased Senator Frank Lautenberg.
The move was believed to be motivated by a desire to keep Newark Mayor Cory Booker
from sharing an election day, 20 days afterward, with Christie, thereby
depressing otherwise anticipated black voter turnout that tended to vote
Democratic.
Fort
Lee lane closure
Main article: Fort Lee
lane closure scandal
George
Washington Bridge over the Hudson River, looking west
from Manhattan
to Fort Lee and the Palisades
From September 9 through September
13, 2013, two of the three traffic lanes in Fort Lee normally open to access the George
Washington Bridge and New York City were closed on
orders from a senior Christie aide and a Christie administration appointee. The
lane closures in the morning rush hour
resulted in massive traffic back-ups on the local
streets for five days.
One common theory as to why the
lanes were closed is that it was political retribution against Democratic Fort
Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, for not supporting Christie in the 2013
gubernatorial election. Another
possible motive involves a major real estate development project, which was a
top priority for Sokolich, that was underway at the Fort Lee bridge access
point.
Several of Christie's appointees and
aides resigned, and Christie fired others, as investigations into the closures
intensified. In a radio interview on February 3, 2014, Christie indicated that
he "unequivocally" had no knowledge of, did not approve, and did not
authorize plans to close the toll lanes, and stated that he first found out
about the traffic jams from a Wall Street Journal story after the lanes
had been reopened. In an interview on ABC, Christie reiterated that he was
shocked by the actions of his former aides, stating that "Sometimes,
people do inexplicably stupid things."
Other investigations were conducted
by the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, the New Jersey Legislature, and the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey.
On September 18, 2014, WNBC reported that unnamed federal sources said the US Attorney
investigation had found no evidence that Christie had prior knowledge of or
directed the closures. An interim repor by the NJ legislative committee
investigating the closures was released in December 2014. The committee had been
unable to determine if Christie had advance knowledge since it was asked by the
US Attorney to postpone interviewing certain key witnesses. At a press
conference on May 1, 2015, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman
stated that, based upon the evidence that was available, his office would not
bring any more charges in the case.
Republican
Governors Association
On November 21, 2013, Christie was
elected Chairman of the Republican
Governors Association, succeeding Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.
Christie campaigned extensively on behalf of Republican governors who are up
for re-election. In the first three months of 2014, the RGA raised a record sum
for the first quarter of a mid-term election year, and almost double the amount
raised by the Democratic
Governors Association during the same period.
Christie presided over net gains for
Republican governships in the 2014 elections, including Bruce Rauner
in Illinois, Larry Hogan in Maryland and Charlie Baker
in Massachusetts, three states that are overwhelmingly Democrat.
Presidential
politics
Christie is considered a leader of
the Republican Party. He was the subject of ongoing speculation that he would
attempt a run for President
of the United States in 2012 by competing in the Republican primaries.
Through 2013 he denied any interest in launching a presidential bid. In
September 2011, a number of press stories cited unnamed sources indicating
Christie was reconsidering his decision to stay out of the race. An Associated
Press story dated September 30 indicated a decision on whether he would run for
president in 2012 would be made "soon".[223]
In a late September speech at the Reagan Library,
he had again said he was not a candidate for president, but the speech also
coincided with his "reconsideration" of the negative decision. One
commentator at that time reviewed reported support from David H. and Charles G. Koch,
Kenneth Langone, and others for Christie's potential candidacy. Retired General Electric
CEO Jack Welch
went on the Charlie
Rose Show to articulate his and others' support for a candidacy, and
Langone went on the interview show October 4.
Decision
not to run in 2012
On October 4, 2011, Christie
acknowledged he had in fact reconsidered his decision but then, again, declined
to run. It was "for real this time", as one report put it. "Now
is not my time", Christie said. "New Jersey, whether you like it or
not, you're stuck with me," Christie added in the one-hour Trenton press
conference held to announce the decision. On October 11, 2011, Christie endorsed Mitt Romney
for president.
The New York Post
has cited anonymous sources as saying Christie was not willing to give up the
governorship to be Romney's running mate because he had doubts about their
ability to win. The Romney campaign was reported to have asked him to resign
his governorship if he became the vice-presidential nominee because "pay to play"
laws restrict campaign contributions from financial corporation executives to
governors running for federal office when the companies do business with the
governor's state. A memo from the campaign attributed Romney's decision not to
choose Christie as his running mate, in part to unanswered questions during the
vetting process
regarding a defamation lawsuit following Christie's initial campaign for Morris
County Freeholder, a Securities
and Exchange Commission
investigation of Christie's brother, as well as his weight.
Activities
related to 2012 presidential election
President Barack Obama
and Governor Chris Christie talk with local residents in Brigantine, New Jersey.
Christie gave the keynote address at
the Republican
National Convention in August 2012.
On October 30, 2012, during a press conference
to discuss the impact of Hurricane Sandy,
Christie praised the disaster relief efforts of President Barack Obama.
Christie stated he still supported Mitt Romney
and was opposed to many of Obama's policies, but thought Obama deserved credit
for his help in the disaster reliefs in New Jersey. Christie had campaigned
with Romney for much of the election, but stated Romney did not ask him to join
him in campaigns for the last week before the election, to allow Christie to
focus on disaster relief. Christie faced significant backlash before and after
the election from conservative Republicans who accused him of acting to bolster
his own personal political standing at the expense of Romney and the party.
Health
and weight
Political commentators debated
whether Christie's weight would or should affect his viability as a 2012
presidential candidate, either for medical or social reasons. In 2011,
columnist Eugene
Robinson applied the term "extremely obese" to Christie, citing medical guidelines established by
the National
Institutes of Health. Christie himself was reportedly
concerned about his weight and its implications for his health, describing
himself as relatively healthy overall.
The Obesity Society, a nonprofit scientific group, released a statement
asserting, "To suggest that Governor Christie's body weight discounts and
discredits his ability to be an effective political candidate is inappropriate,
unjust, and wrong." Christie underwent lap-band stomach
surgery in February 2013 and disclosed the surgery to the New York Post
in May of that year.
National
role after 2012
Governor Chris Christie speaking at
the 2014 Conservative
Political Action Conference (CPAC) in
National Harbor, Maryland.
In the aftermath of the election,
Christie maintained his national profile and continued to clash with
conservatives in his party by strongly criticizing House Speaker John Boehner
regarding aid for Hurricane Sandy and then the National
Rifle Association for their ad that mentioned
President Obama's children. Christie was subsequently not invited to speak at
the 2013 Conservative
Political Action Conference (CPAC),
which is largely seen as a stepping-stone for Republicans running for
president. The CPAC chair explained that Christie was not invited "for
decisions that he made", but that "hopefully next year he's back on
the right track and being a conservative." On February 3, 2014, CPAC
announced on their Facebook account that Governor Christie would be a speaker
at the yearly conference.
2016
presidential campaign
Main article: Chris
Christie presidential campaign
In January 2015, Christie took his
first formal step towards a potential presidential candidacy when he formed a political
action committee (PAC) in order to raise funds and
set the groundwork for what Time magazine
called "a likely 2016 presidential campaign". On June 27, 2015,
Christie launched his presidential campaign website. He formally announced his
candidacy on June 30, 2015. Christie dropped out of the race on February 10,
2016 after the New
Hampshire primary.
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