"A retired teacher paid $62,000 towards her pension and nothing, yes nothing, for full family medical, dental and vision coverage over her entire career. What will we pay her? $1.4 million in pension benefits and another $215,000 in health care benefit premiums over her lifetime."
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he was the United States Attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008 and a Morris County commissioner from 1995 to 1997. He was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and 2024.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Christie was raised in Livingston, New Jersey. After graduating in...
Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he was the United States Attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008 and a Morris County commissioner from 1995 to 1997. He was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and 2024.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, Christie was raised in Livingston, New Jersey. After graduating in 1984 from the University of Delaware, he earned a J.D. at Seton Hall University School of Law. He began his political career as a volunteer for Republican Thomas Kean's 1981 gubernatorial campaign. In 1994, Christie was elected as a county freeholder (legislator) for Morris County, New Jersey. His campaign that year was met with criticism as he had made several false statements about his opponent's legal issues. This criticism led to Christie losing his 1996 reelection campaign in the Republican primary. He later worked for the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush; after Bush became president, he appointed Christie U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, a position he held from January 2002 to December 2008. During his tenure, he oversaw the convictions of 130 public officials from both local and state levels.
Christie won the 2009 Republican primary for Governor of New Jersey and defeated Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine in the general election. In his first term, he was credited with cutting spending, capping property tax growth and engaging in recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy. He was re-elected by a wide margin in 2013, defeating state senate majority leader Barbara Buono. Christie's second term saw multiple controversies, namely the Fort Lee lane closure and his various absences from the state. He chaired the Republican Governors Association during the 2014 campaign. On June 30, 2015, he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, but he suspended his candidacy six months later following a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary. Later, he endorsed eventual winner Donald Trump and was named head of Trump's transition planning team. His term as governor expired in 2018 and he registered as a lobbyist in 2020.
Christie was a close ally of Trump during his presidency, but later emerged as a harsh critic of Trump following Trump's refusal to accept his loss in the 2020 United States presidential election and the subsequent January 6 Capitol attack. On June 6, 2023, he announced his second presidential campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. Christie dropped out of the Republican primary on January 10, 2024 before primary voting started.
