Chris Christie presidential campaign, 2016
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 Chris Christie |
Governor of New Jersey (2010-2018) U.S. Attorney for New Jersey (2002-2008) |
 Republican candidate: |
2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
- See also: Chris Christie
Chris Christie is a former Republican candidate for the office of president of the United States in 2016. On June 30, 2015, Christie made his announcement at Livingston High School, which he graduated from in 1980.[2]
After placing sixth in the New Hampshire primary with seven percent of the vote, Christie suspended his presidential campaign on February 10, 2016.[1]
Christie is the current governor of New Jersey. He was first elected in 2009. Prior to his gubernatorial bid, Christie served as the U.S. attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008.
When asked on August 14, 2014, whether he would enter the presidential race in 2016, Christie stated, "I’m thinking about it. It is an enormous decision to make not only for me, but my family. Probably by the end of this year or the beginning of next I’ll decide."[3] In 2012, Christie made visits to key states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.[4] He also appeared at a national fundraising event in New York City on September 23, 2013.[5] At the time of the 2016 election, a total of 17 presidents had previously served as governors.[6]
In recent candidate rankings, Crowdpac ranked Christie as a 3.4C (C being conservative) on a scale ranging from 10L to 10C, making him the third least conservative Republican presidential candidate.[7] Christie received a grade of a "D/67" from the Leadership Project for America PAC.[8]
Endorsements
| Endorsements of 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Status | Job title | Date | Source |
| Shawn Jasper | Incumbent | New Hampshire Commissioner of Agriculture | February 2016 | Politico |
| Kim Guadagno | Former officeholder | Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey | June 2015 | NJ.com |
| Susan Brooks | Incumbent | U.S. House, Indiana, District 5 | December 2015 | Christie2016 |
| Patrick Meehan | Incumbent | U.S. House, Pennsylvania, District 7 | July 2015 | The Hill |
| Leonard Lance | Incumbent | U.S. House, New Jersey, District 7 | June 2015 | NJ.com |
| Tom MacArthur | Incumbent | U.S. House, New Jersey, District 3 | June 2015 | NJ.com |
| Frank LoBiondo | Incumbent | U.S. House, New Jersey, District 2 | June 2015 | NJ.com |
| Peter Bragdon | Former Member | New Hampshire State Senate, District 11 | January 2016 | New Hampshire Union Leader |
| Dick Hinch | Incumbent | New Hampshire House of Representatives, Hillsborough 21 | December 2015 | New Hampshire Union Leader |
| Sherman Packard | Incumbent | New Hampshire House of Representatives, Rockingham 5 | December 2015 | New Hampshire Union Leader |
| Click here for the full list of endorsements for Chris Christie. | ||||
- On November 28, 2015, Chris Christie won the endorsement of the New Hampshire Union Leader. Publisher Joseph McQuaid wrote, “As a U.S. attorney and then a big-state governor, he is the one candidate who has the range and type of experience the nation desperately needs. We don't need another fast-talking, well-meaning freshman U.S. senator trying to run the government. We are still seeing the disastrous effects of the last such choice. Chris Christie is a solid, pro-life conservative who has managed to govern in liberal New Jersey, face down the big public unions, and win a second term. Gov. Christie can work across the aisle, but he won't get rolled by the bureaucrats. We don't need as President some well-meaning person from the private sector who has no public experience. Gov. Christie is right for these dangerous times. He has prosecuted terrorists and dealt admirably with major disasters. But the one reason he may be best-suited to lead during these times is because he tells it like it is and isn't shy about it. ...Gov. Chris Christie is exactly the conservative Republican needed to take the fight to Hillary Clinton next fall and then get about the serious business of defending us and rebuilding our economy.”[9] USA Today called the endorsement "potentially critical". The paper said, "Christie has been struggling to gain traction in the polls and was, in the most recent debate, bumped from the main stage because he’s been languishing in the single digits. The endorsement is the clearest example of how Christie is getting another look from primary voters in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris that have thrust national security issues to the forefront of the 2016 primaries. As a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Christie prosecuted terror cases."[10]
On the issues
 |
| Quick facts about Christie |
|---|
| Birthday: September 6, 1962 |
| Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey |
| Alma maters: University of Delaware
Seton Hall University School of Law |
| Career: Governor of New Jersey (6 years)
U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey (6 years) |
| Spouse: Mary Pat Christie |
| Children: Andrew, Sarah, Patrick and Bridget |
| Religion: Roman Catholic |
| Public policy in the 2016 election |
|---|
| Budgets and Taxes Education Common Core Student debt Energy Clean Power Plan Fracking Environment Climate change Healthcare Medicaid and Medicare Obamacare Redistricting Voting Rights Act Voter ID |
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| Hover over the words for information about the issue and links to related articles. |
Economic and fiscal
Taxes
- On January 9, 2016, Chris Christie advocated for doubling the earned income tax credit, a tax break designed to help the poor, while speaking at an anti-poverty forum. "If people decide to go out there, they're going to be making more money working than they're going to be sitting on their couch. That's where you have to do these things. Give work incentives so the people get back to work,” he said.[13]
- At the fourth Republican primary debate on November 10, 2015, Christie discussed his position on taxes. He said, "And, let's be clear, if we do not change course, if we follow the President's lead, and that's exactly what Secretary Clinton will do, we're going to be in the same circumstance -- with government picking the winners and losers. So, let me be clear about what we'll do. First, make the tax code fairer, flatter, and simplier [sic]. Get rid of all the special interest deductions. You know, the American people feel like the tax code is rigged for the rich, and you know why they feel that way? Because it is. We'll get rid of all those special interest deductions except for the home mortgage interest deduction, and the charitable contribution deduction. Everyone will get lower rates, keep more of their own money, be able to file their tax returns in 15 minutes, and, by the way, the good thing, I'll be able to fire a whole bunch of IRS agents once we do that."[14]
- At a campaign stop in Iowa on October 21, 2015, Christie said that tax deductions should be eliminated except for home-mortgage interest and charitable contributions. He said, “Most people in this country now feel — they have a feeling, they don’t know for sure — but they feel like the tax system in our country is rigged for the rich. The reason they think that is because it is. The tax system is rigged for the rich. Only people with great lawyers and great accountants and a lot of money get to take advantage of it.”[15]
- In September 2015, Christie opposed an increase to New Jersey’s gas tax if it was not accompanied by other tax cuts. Christie said Republican state legislators should be focused on negotiating around inheritance and sales taxes.[16]
Banking policy
- At the November 10, 2015, Republican undercard debate, Chris Christie said the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates "artificially low ... to politically support Barack Obama and his agenda." He added that the Federal Reserve "should be audited" and should "stop playing politics with our money supply."[17]
- Christie criticized excessive regulation of the banking industry in prepared remarks for a speech on economic policy in May 2015. He said, "America is losing its lead in the global IPO market, and the number of stock listings here is dropping sharply, in part due to the unintended consequences of regulation — everything from Eliot Spitzer's research settlement, which helped destroy the equity research and trading business; to Sarbanes-Oxley, which made it more expensive for young companies to come public; to Dodd-Frank, with new requirements but no fix for young companies seeing the window to the capital markets close on them." In addition to "increasing the too big to fail problem by concentrating the power of the big banks," Christie argued the Dodd-Frank Act has "curtailed lending to small business by the smaller banks who are economically vital."[18]
- When asked if he would have acted to prevent bailed out bankers from awarding themselves large bonuses in June 2011, Christie said he would not regulate executive compensation at financial institutions. "I probably wouldn't have done anything different to stop them to do that except to use the power of the bully pulpit if you're president to call attention to it and to try to shame them into doing something different. I don't believe in that kind of heavy-handed regulation where we're saying, you know, we're going to tell you how much you can pay people." He added, "I do think that what really caused the problem was not so much the high-pay, was just the incredibly risky securities that they were creating and selling and spreading kind of like a cancer through the system that really caused the incredible downturn that we had in 2008 and 2009."[19]
Government regulations
- If elected president, Chris Christie said December 20, 2015, at a campaign stop in New Hampshire that he would institute an 180-day freeze on federal regulations as his administration reviewed the impact of rules established by the Obama administration on businesses. “Think about how uncompetitive we make ourselves,” Christie said.[20]
- In a March 2014 speech, Christie criticized the Obama administration for implementing policies and regulations that impede the free market. Christie asserted, "We don’t have an income inequality problem, we have an opportunity problem in this country because government's trying to control the free market."[21]
- In March 2014, Christie implemented a government regulation that prevented auto manufacturers from selling directly to the consumer. Tesla, an automaker that sold cars through two dealerships in New Jersey, was forced to stop selling vehicles directly from their dealerships.[21] When accused of having "slapped free markets across the face," Christie explained that he was enforcing a law that had been in place since the 1970s, stating, "I don’t like the law either. I didn’t vote for it. I didn’t sign it. But I don’t get to just ignore the laws I don’t like."[22]
International trade
- During a trade mission to Mexico in September 2014, Chris Christie advocated for inviting Mexico and Canada to join the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, along with the U.S. and all 28 countries in the European Union.[23][24]
- Christie said in an interview with John Harwood of CNBC that the U.S. needed to expand free trade agreements across the globe. He stated, "I think you need to be encourageing [sic] more trade around the world. When America trades with other countries in a free way, America usually does much beater [sic], because of the ingenuity, because of technology we have, because of the entrepreneurial spirit we have in this country, I think we do better."[25]
Budgets
- On January 26, 2016, Chris Christie announced a plan to keep Atlantic City from filing for bankruptcy. According to The New York Times, “The agreement falls short of an outright takeover by the state of the city’s government, but it would leave state officials to make all of the important decisions about how to reduce its crushing debt of $240 million and slash the size and cost of its civil services.” Christie commented on the plan saying, “The urgency of the city’s current financial predicament cannot be understated.”[26]
- After Christie “vetoed a financial aid package for Atlantic City on January 19, 2016,” Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts explained the veto. He said, “Atlantic City government has been given over five years and two city administrations to deal with its structural budget issues and excessive spending. It has not. The governor is not going to ask the taxpayers to continue to be enablers in this waste and abuse."[27]
- In his first budget, Christie made enough spending cuts to close an $11 billion deficit without needing to raise taxes. He also vetoed a bill passed by the legislature that would have increased income taxes for those who made over $1 million.[28]
- Christie's budgets increased in fiscal years 2012 and 2013. He canceled a $9 billion rail tunnel project, but invested $200 million of public funds into the American Dream Meadowlands mall.[29]
Agricultural subsidies
- Chris Christie was interrupted by animal rights activists during his speech on the Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on August 22, 2015. After the protesters were removed from the stage, Christie said, “Let me be really clear. I believe that farmers should be able to make the decisions about how best to raise their livestock. Not government bureaucrats.”[30]
- In 2011, Chris Christie signed legislation that provided $90.6 million in grant funds for farmland preservation.[31]
Federal assistance programs
- At the fourth Republican primary debate on November 10, 2015, Chris Christie discussed changes he would push for as president to entitlement programs. He said "Now I've forward, I put forward an entitlement reform plan. We spend 71 cents of every dollar in America on entitlements and debt service, and if -- you know, Willy Sutton used to say, when they asked him why he robbed banks, he said that's 'cause that's where the money is, OK? And where the money is in the federal government are these entitlement programs and debt service. What I've said is we need to get a hold of that. We cannot continue to go down the $19 trillion in debt. So our plan will save over $1 trillion over the next 10 years and make sure that Social Security and Medicare are there for those who truly need it and also make sure that we have money to be able to reduce taxes and spend on the things we need to spend."[32] Christie's plan called for means testing Social Security, raising the retirement age, and phasing out retirement payments to those with more than $200,000 a year in other income and smaller reductions for those earning $80,000.[33]
- After criticizing other 2016 presidential candidates for being “vague” on reforming entitlement programs in July 2015, Christie explained the reasoning behind his own position that the retirement age for Social Security should be gradually raised to 69. “I think that if you give it 25 years, which is what we're giving it, you're going to see advances in medical science ... and pharmaceutical treatments that are going to allow us to even have manual laborers who will be able to work longer, much longer than they're able to work now,” Christie said.[34]
- After a speech at the Reagan Library in 2011, Christie expressed his support for means testing for both Social Security and Medicare in order to "get people who don't need to stop taking it so that we can give it to people at an affordable price who do need it."[35] At a separate press event, he said that the social security retirement age should be raised, saying, "You're going to have to raise the retirement age for Social Security. Oh I just said it, and I'm still standing here! I did not vaporize into the carpeting and I said it!"[35]
- Christie advocated for entitlement reform, saying in 2012 that the U.S. was becoming a "paternalistic entitlement society."[36]
Labor and employment
- About 30 protesters for the New Jersey Amalgamated Transit Union traveled to New Hampshire on February 8, 2016, to protest Chris Christie at one of his final campaign events in the state prior to the February 9, 2016, primary. They chanted, “Chris Christie, bad for New Jersey, bad for you.” Christie dismissed them as his “favorite Democrats.”[37]
- In his annual State of the State address on January 12, 2016, Christie attacked state Democrats for pushing a constitutional amendment that would require the state to pay into the pension system for workers at current rates. Christie wants Democrats to cut benefits instead, The Wall Street Journal reported. Christie said the Democrats’ pension plan would cause the state to sacrifice spending on health care, education, children and other priorities to “pander to pensioners.” He added, “This is the road to ruin.”[38]
- Christie signed legislation in 2011 designed to address pension reform. The reform increased the amount of state contributions to the pension system but called for concessions from the unions. Over the two following years, Christie cut the payments by nearly $2.5 billion, angering the unions and increasing the pension debt by billions of dollars.[39]
- During his State of the State address in January 2015, Christie acknowledged the problems with New Jersey's pension system but did not offer specific details with regard to his plan to reform the issue.[40]
Foreign affairs
Military preparedness and budget
- At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, Chris Christie discussed his support for requiring women to register for the draft: "What my wife and I have taught our daughters right from the beginning, that their sense of self-worth, their sense of value, their sense of what they want to do with their life comes not from the outside, but comes from within. And if a young woman in this country wants to go and fight to defend their country, she should be permitted to do so. Part of that also needs to be part of a greater effort in this country, and so there's no reason why one -- young women should be discriminated against from registering for the selective service. The fact is, we need to be a party and a people that makes sure that our women in this country understand anything they can dream, anything that they want to aspire to, they can do. That's the way we raised our daughters and that's what we should aspire to as president for all of the women in our country."[41]
- While serving on a panel at the Aspen Institute, Christie criticized politicians like Rand Paul, often described as "isolationists," for wanting to reduce anti-terror measures. Christie said that a move in this direction would be "dangerous."[42]
National security
- During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, Chris Christie talked about the use of military force: “Military action ... would be used when it was absolutely necessary to protect American lives and protect American interests around the world. We are not the world's policeman, but we need to stand up and be ready. And the problem ... is that the military is not ready, either. We need to rebuild our military, and this president has let it diminish to a point where tinpot dictators like the mullahs in Iran are taking our Navy ships. It is disgraceful, and in a Christie administration, they would know much, much better than to do that.”[43]
- Christie defended his record as a prosecutor after it was determined he has not appeared before the Foreign Intelligence Services Court as he claimed during the first Republican presidential primary debate in August. Christie said on December 23, 2015, “We absolutely work in coordination with the Justice Department to provide them with the information that allows them to make the application. I never said that I personally appeared before the FISA court. I said we appeared, as the Justice Department.” The New York Times wrote, “A close examination of Mr. Christie’s record as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor from 2002 to 2008 shows that he did acquire greater counterterrorism experience than his current rivals. But it also shows that he has, at times, overstated the significance of the terrorism prosecutions he oversaw...and appears to have exaggerated his personal role in obtaining court permission for surveillance of terrorism suspects.”[44]
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Christie discussed his strategy for protecting against cyber-attacks from China: “Well, what it would like is, we have one of the great advantages of America being the open society that we are. It is, we are not hiding things from the American people, but China everyday is conducting business in a way that hides things from their people. So if they want to come in and attack all the personnel records in the federal government, which they've done, and which - they now have my Social Security number and my fingerprints, as well as maybe some other folks' who are on this stage. The fact is, they need to be fought back on. And what we need to do is go at the things that they are most sensitive and most embarrassing to them; that they're hiding; get that information and put it out in public. Let the Chinese people start to digest how corrupt the Chinese government is; how they steal from the Chinese people; and how they're enriching oligarchs all throughout China. They need to understand that. And we need to take those type of steps. This president has seen personnel records of people who have sacrificed for the American people and for the federal government stolen by the Chinese and he's done nothing in return. This is why - this is what I said at the beginning that this administration, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton through their foreign policy, have betrayed the American people, because the weakness they've displayed has led to Putin's incursions in the Middle East and in eastern Europe, and has led - has led to significant problems in the Middle East as well, and the death and murder of lots of folks.”[45]
- In an interview published by The Atlantic on December 4, 2015, Christie said he believed “Iran is a greater threat than ISIS.” He continued, “I believe Iran is moving toward obtaining a nuclear weapon. I have no proof at this point that ISIS is moving toward obtaining weapons of mass destruction.”[46]
International relations
- At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, Chris Christie how he would handle the college student held hostage by North Korea: "You never pay ransom to the criminals. Ever. You never pay ransom to the criminals. Everyone out at home watching tonight understands that principle. And so, what you need to do is to engage in a much different way with these folks. They do not understand anything but toughness and strength, and we need to engage the Chinese to deal with the North Koreans, but we also need to make sure that they understand there's a commander-in-chief who will not pay ransom for any hostage. This president and his former secretary of State are for paying ransom for hostages. When do that, you endanger even more Americans around the world to be the subject of this type of hostage taking and illegal detention. You need a strong commander-in-chief who will look these folks in the eye and say, we will not put up with this and we will take whatever actions we need to take, not only to get our people home safely, but to swiftly and surely punish those who believe they can violate the law and violate American's sovereign rights to travel the world freely and safely."[47]
- On January 6, 2016, Christie attributed North Korea’s alleged hydrogen bomb test to “weak American leadership” from the Obama administration. He said, “The problem here is that it's been a weak response by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the last seven years. You know, three out of the four nuclear detonations that the North Koreans have done have happened on Barack Obama and Clinton's watch, and they have just not acted strongly at all around the world.”[48]
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Christie said he would shoot down a Russian plane if it entered a U.S. no-fly zone: “Not only would I be prepared to do it, I would do it. A no-fly zone means a no-fly zone.... That's what it means. See, maybe - maybe because I'm from New Jersey, I just have this kind of plain language hangup. But I would make very clear - I would not talk to Vladimir Putin. In fact, I would talk to Vladimir Putin a lot. But I'd say to him, ‘Listen, Mr. President, there's a no-fly zone in Syria; you fly in, it applies to you.’ And yes, we would shoot down the planes of Russian pilots if in fact they were stupid enough to think that this president was the same feckless weakling that the president we have in the Oval Office is right now.”[49]
- Although Christie had previously said that the U.S. “should play their role” in accepting Syrian refugees, he stated on October 21, 2015, “It's a real danger to take in any of these folks, that's why I've been advocating for the idea that what we need to do is incentivize our allies around the world, especially in the Middle East, for them to take these folks in."[50]
ISIS and terrorism
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Chris Christie talked about his strategy to protect Americans from terrorist attacks: “[U]nfortunately, it's the new normal under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The fact is that if you listen to Hillary Clinton the other day, what she said to the American people was, as regards to ISIS, my strategy would be just about the same as the president's. Just about the same as the president's? We have people across this country who are scared to death. Because I could tell you this, as a former federal prosecutor, if a center for the developmentally disabled in San Bernardino, California, is now a target for terrorists, that means everywhere in America is a target for these terrorists. Now, I spent seven years of my life in the immediate aftermath of September 11th doing this work, working with the Patriot Act, working with our law enforcement, working with the surveillance community to make sure that we keep America safe. What we need to do...is restore those tools that have been taken away by the president and others, restore those tools to the NSA and to our entire surveillance and law enforcement community. We need a president who is going to understand what actionable intelligence looks like and act on it. And we need a president and a cabinet who understands that the first and most important priority of the president of the United States is to protect the safety and security of Americans.As someone who has done it, I will make sure it gets done again.”[51]
- In his speech before the Sunshine Summit in Florida on November 14, 2015, Christie used the Paris terrorist attacks to underline the importance of presidential leadership and condemn President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. He said, "[Obama] called ISIS the JV and just hours, just hours, yesterday before they struck in Paris he told ABC News that his strategy was containing ISIS. All of these statements were a lie, he sees the world as he likes to see it, as a fantasy. I see the world as it really is and it's time to have a president who sees the world as it really is, not how he wishes it would be. … When I'm president of the United States, America will be a nation of action again, and action in the interest of one goal: Protecting the safety, security and freedom of the American people."[52]
Syrian refugees
- In a radio interview on December 4, 2015, Christie said the San Bernardino, Calif. shooting demonstrates why no Syrian refugees, including women and children, should be resettled in the United States. “We now know from San Bernardino, just a couple of days ago, that women are very capable of being involved in terrorist activity. And the widow who comes over here from Syria, if aligned with ISIS or another organization, could create just as much death as any man given the weapons that are available now,” he said.[53]
- Chris Christie sent a letter to President Obama on November 17, 2015, notifying him that New Jersey would not accept any Syrian refugees. He wrote, “Neither you nor any federal official can guarantee that Syrian refugees will not be part of any terroristic activity.”[54]
Iran nuclear deal
- At the fifth GOP primary debate on December 15, 2015, Chris Christie argued that there is a connection between the Iran nuclear deal deal and ISIS: “Well, I think we have to focus...on exactly what the priorities are. And to me, what I've always said is that the president has set up an awful situation through his deal with Iran, because what his deal with Iran has done is empower them and enrich them. And that's the way ISIS has been created and formed here. ISIS is created and formed because of the abuse that Assad and his Iranian sponsors have rained down on the Sunnis in Syria. And so when we empower Iran, this is why this president - and when Hillary Clinton says her theory against ISIS will be just about the same as the president, then get ready for more unrest and more murder and more violence in the Middle East. We need to focus our attention on Iran, because if you miss Iran, you are not going to get ISIS. The two are inextricably connected because one causes the other.”[55]
- Christie suggested In September 2015 that the Iran nuclear deal was a poor agreement because the Obama administration sent "a weakling like John Kerry" to lead the negotiations.[56]
- On September 8, 2015, Christie signed a letter to President Obama, along with 14 other governors, that opposed the Iran deal and advocated to keep state sanctions against Iran in place.[57]
- In an interview on Fox News on September 2, 2015, Christie suggested President Obama had made “secret deals...with members of Congress to get their votes” in support of the Iran nuclear deal. He said, “I cannot believe a lot of these folks would actually agree to this without them getting something else from the president.”[58]
- Speaking at a news conference on August 25, 2015, Christie encouraged U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to oppose the Iran nuclear deal. He said, “For those who have not yet announced their position, particularly to my friend Senator Cory Booker, this cannot be about politics and it cannot be accepting the flawed idea that a bad deal is better than no deal.”[59]
- Following the Iran nuclear agreement in July 2015, Christie joined other dissenters and voiced his strong disagreement with the treaty. Christie said, "After two years of humiliating concessions by President Obama, he has made his deal with Iran. He should have walked away. Iran joins the sad list of countries where America’s red lines have been crossed. The president is playing a dangerous game with our national security, and the deal as structured will lead to a nuclear Iran and, then, a nuclearized Middle East. The deal threatens Israel, it threatens the United States, and it turns 70 years of nuclear policy on its head. I urge Republicans and Democrats in Congress to put aside politics and act in the national interest. Vote to disapprove this deal in numbers that will override the President’s threatened veto."[60]
Domestic
Federalism
Judiciary
- Chris Christie denied supporting Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court on January 10, 2016. In July 2009, it was reported he said, “After watching and listening to Judge Sotomayor’s performance at the confirmation hearings this week, I am confident that she is qualified for the position of Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.” Christie told CBS “I didn’t voice support for Sonia Sotomayor,” when asked about the comment.[61]
- On August 20, 2015, Christie pledged that his first nominee to the Supreme Court would not be a graduate of Harvard Law School or Yale Law School. “You need folks who have real life experiences, who have had real struggles, and who have made a difference in their communities in ways that are different than just going to an Ivy League school,” Christie said.[62]
- In 2010, Christie made the unprecedented move of refusing to reappoint a justice to the New Jersey Supreme Court. He replaced Justice John Wallace, the only African American justice on the court at the time, with Anne Patterson.[63] Christie and other Republicans had previously criticized the court for "judicial activism" and "legislating from the bench." Christie's decision angered many Democrats, but Christie explained, "I expressed over and over again my significant concern regarding the direction of the Supreme Court over the last nearly 30 years, that there were not the appropriate constitutional balances being struck by the court, that the court over the course of this time, in my view, 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."[64]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Speaking of the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Chris Christie said in September 2015, “[W]hat I would do with this woman is to move her to another job where this is not an objection for her. Because you have to follow the law. And the law has to be these licenses have to be issued. If she has a religious objection, we should move her to another job inside the government.”[65]
- The archbishop of Newark, John J. Myers, condemned Christie’s administration for barring the archdiocese from selling headstones and private mausoleums at Catholic cemeteries. Myers and lawyers from the Institute for Justice called the law “unconstitutional” and “one of the most egregious examples of economic protectionism anywhere in the country.”[66]
- In response to a question at a town hall meeting in 2014, Christie stated that campaign contributions should be unlimited, with the stipulation that information about the donation must be disclosed and posted to the Internet within 48 hours of the donation.[67] Christie gave an example, saying, "If somebody wants to write me a $100,000 check to my campaign, great. Forty-eight hours later, everybody who has access to the internet will know that Mr. Smith gave the $100,000. And if all of sudden, I start talking in a way after that's really favorable to Mr. Smith's business, well then you're going to know that my price was $100,000."[68]
- In 2010, Christie proposed an ethics reform plan that altered campaign finance law in New Jersey. Among other things, the legislation sought to "make labor unions subject to the same contribution requirements which apply to other entities doing business with the state" and to restrict the process of "wheeling," which was defined as moving "political contributions from committee to committee, allowing political parties, particularly at the local level, to mask the sources of their money."[69][70]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
- On April 1, 2015, Chris Christie defended Indiana Governor Mike Pence, who received significant criticism for Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said, "Well, we should not have a situation where people perceive that anybody will be denied service. But, I can tell you this, I know Mike Pence, and he's got nothing but love in his heart for people and I just do not believe that in any way Mike Pence would intend for anything that happen in his state on his watch to be discriminatory towards any person. And so, my guess is that he'll fix the problem and move on. Because that's the kind of guy he is. I will tell you, amongst the governors, there is nobody that I've met amongst the governors who is more sincere in his faith and in his love for people than Mike Pence. So, I just don't believe any of this stuff is true and to the extent that something needs to be fixed to clarify that no one will be denied service for discriminatory reasons, I'm sure that's exactly what Mike will do."[71]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- Chris Christie pocket vetoed a bill requiring gun sellers to carry at least one smart gun. “Having the legislature pass more than 100 bills in such a hasty and scrambled way, praying for them to be rubber stamped, is never a good formula for effectively doing public business,” Joelle Farrell, a spokeswoman for Christie, said of his decision not to sign the bill.[72] [73]
- On January 16, 2016, when asked by a voter if he supports universal background checks to purchase a gun, Christie said, "I don't support background checks for every gun sale. There's a lot of gun sales that shouldn't have to require background checks. Family members selling to other family members or friends. I don't know why those folks need to have a background check. Criminals don't go through background checks.” When asked about the “private sales loophole,” Christie said, "Listen, I don't believe that that's what's causing gun violence in this country. I don't believe putting the government more and more in between the American people and their Second Amendment rights is going to make this country safer."[74]
- During the sixth Republican presidential primary debate, on January 14, 2016, Christie discussed how he would protect the Second Amendment: “See, here's the thing. I don't think the founders put the Second Amendment as number two by accident. I don't think they dropped all the amendments into a hat and picked them out of a hat. I think they made the Second Amendment the second amendment because they thought it was just that important. The fact is in New Jersey, what we have done is to make it easier now to get a conceal and carry permit. We have made it easier to do that, not harder. And the way we've done it properly through regulatory action, not buy signing unconstitutional executive orders. This guy is a petulant child. That's what he is.”[75]
- During an interview on FOX News’ Sean Hannity on January 6, 2016, Christie explained why he had shifted from supporting an “assault weapons” ban in 1995 to loosening gun regulations in 2015. He said, “Listen, in 1995, Sean, I was 32 years old and I've changed my mind. The biggest reason that I changed my mind was my seven years as a federal prosecutor. What I learned in those seven years was we that were spending much too much time talking about gun laws against law abiding citizens and not nearly enough time about enforcing the gun laws strongly against criminals.”[76]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
- On December 3, 2015, at Republican Jewish Coalition’s presidential forum, Chris Christie accused critics of the National Security Agency’s surveillance program of engaging in a “false debate” for political “theater.” He said, “The idea that anything that was going on during the eight years of the Bush administration was either illegal or extra-constitutional is absolutely false. This is the debate for theater. This is a debate to raise money, to cut their little speeches from Capitol Hill, put it on the Internet, and then raise money by scaring people into thinking the government’s listening to your phone calls or reading your emails.”[77]
Crime and justice
- At the eighth Republican presidential primary debate on February 6, 2016, Chris Christie discussed the regulation of drugs and drug rehabilitation: "We are working with the folks in New Hampshire in their legislature right now to show them how we're helping to solve this problem in New Jersey. Not just for this campaign -- three years ago, I proposed a law that we signed into effect, which said that anyone who was a non-violent, non-dealing, first-time drug offender no longer goes to prison in New Jersey. They go to mandatory, in-patient drug treatment. What has happened is, crime has gone down 20 percent in those years. The prison population has gone down 10 percent. We've now closed the state prison -- closed a state prison, and we're turning it into a drug rehabilitation facility, so people can get the tools they need. Listen, everyone out there knows this in New Hampshire. This is a disease. It's not a moral failing, it's a disease. And we need to get people the treatment they need. And let me tell you why. Because I'm pro-life. And I'm pro-life not just for the nine months in the womb, I'm pro-life for when they get out and it's a lot more complicated. Sixteen-year-old, heroin-addicted drug girl on the floor of the county lockup, I'm pro-life for her life. The 42-year-old lawyer who is taking Oxycontin and can't get out of bed and support his family -- I'm pro-life for his life. Everyone [sic] of those lives is an individual gift from God. And the last thing is this. These efforts we've taken over the last three years, 2015 in New Jersey, for the first time in four years, drug overdose deaths have gone down, not up. I'll bring the same solutions to the country."[78]
- During his State of the State address on January 12, 2016, Christie unveiled plans to help battle drug addiction. He said that “a closing state prison will be transformed into a drug abuse treatment facility for prison inmates.” He said, “The victims of addiction deserve treatment, whether they’re in the community or they are incarcerated. Next year, [the prison] will re-open for its new mission. We are doing this because every life, every life, is a precious gift from God.” He also announced that $1.7 million will be allocated for “the expansion of the state’s recovery coach program” and $100 million will be allocated to “increase access to mental health care and substance abuse treatments.” He said, “For someone going through a mental health crisis, they’re going to get better care in a treatment facility, not in a prison. If we can help people get access to coordinated care, not just for their physical conditions, but for their mental health, addiction issues or both, we can deliver more effective treatment and lower the long-term cost to the state.”[79]
- While visiting a drug treatment center in Florida on December 7, 2015, Christie outlined his plan to combat substance abuse. He said, “First, you have to change the mindset of prosecutors. Sometimes justice means prosecuting and sometimes it doesn’t.” Second, Christie argued that money saved from sending more addicts to drug courts than prison could be used to fund drug treatment programs. He said ultimately people in the U.S. need “to think differently about this in our country. It’s also how we talk about it and treat each other.”[80]
| "Chris Christie's plea to New Hampshire voters that America reevaluate it's approach to drugs.," November 4, 2015. |
- A video of Christie published November 4, 2015, appealing to New Hampshire voters for America to reevaluate it's approach to drugs and how addiction has touched his life went viral with 3 million views. “Christie isn't the first candidate to talk about treatment rather than incarceration -- his fellow Republican Rand Paul has long decried the disproportionate jailing of black drug offenders. Christie's just the first to get so much attention. It's become a safe topic now that the scourge is devastating the middle class,” wrote Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg View.[81]
Infrastructure
- Chris Christie sent a joint letter with Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) to President Obama on September 15, 2015, that said New York and New Jersey would pay half of the $20 billion required to build a new Hudson River tunnel, if the federal government would pay the other half.[82]
Natural resources
Cap and trade
- In 2011, Chris Christie removed New Jersey from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGII), a cap-and-trade program designed to limit carbon emissions in the state. Christie said that the initiative did "nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens, tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact upon our environment.[83] At the same time, Christie banned new coal-fired power plants and committed New Jersey to using renewable energy sources for at least 22.5 percent of its electricity by 2021.[83]
Energy production
- In August 2010, Christie signed legislation that authorized the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to "provide up to $100 million in tax credits for wind energy facilities."[84]
- In 2011, Christie expressed "strong opposition to off-shore drilling in New Jersey, as well as drilling off the coast of other nearby states that could negatively impact the state’s 130 miles of coastline and multi-billion dollar tourism industry."[85]
Fracking
- In 2011, Christie vetoed a ban on hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in New Jersey. In September 2012, he vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the "treatment, discharge, disposal or storage of hydraulic fracturing waste" in the state.[86]
Keystone XL Pipeline
- During his trip to Mexico in 2014, Christie expressed his support for approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, promoting and increasing the capacity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and easing the regulations on gas and oil.[87]
Clean air and water
- In 2011, Christie supported a petition with the EPA to force a Pennsylvania power plant to reduce its sulfur dioxide emissions, which could have crossed the Delaware River and negatively impacted the air quality in parts of New Jersey.[88]
- In 2013, the Christie administration participated in a lawsuit with other states against an Ohio-based power company for coal-fired emissions. American Electric Power (AEP) was accused of polluting the air in New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island and Vermont. According to the settlement, AEP had to reduce air pollution and pay $6.5 million to the affected states, including $714,000 to New Jersey.[89]
- In January 2014, Chris Christie signed legislation that allowed the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to postpone the enforcement of water-quality management planning rules for two years.[90]
Environmental protection
- Christie conditionally vetoed the "New Jersey Healthy Forests Act," which would have allowed the state DEP to establish forestry stewardship programs throughout the state. Some environmentalist groups, such as the Sierra Club, were also against the bill. Christie was concerned that the bill would have delegated authority from the state to a third-party organization called the Forest Stewardship Council.[91]
Healthcare
- In March 2014, Chris Christie referred to the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as a "failed federal program." He applauded the healthcare system already in place in New Jersey, stating, "we've expanded Medicaid. We're the second most generous Medicaid program in the United States of America."[92]
- Christie formed the following four-point plan to address the healthcare issue in New Jersey:[93]
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- In 2012, Christie vetoed legislation that would have created a state healthcare exchange. He commented, "I will not ask New Jerseyans to commit today to a state-based exchange when the federal government cannot tell us what it will cost, how that cost compares to other options and how much control they will give the states over this option that comes at the cost of our state’s taxpayers."[95]
- In 2013, Christie introduced a state budget that included an expansion in Medicaid.[96]
Immigration
- Chris Christie expressed support for elements of self-deportation in an interview in the Washington Examiner on January 18, 2016. “I do think that E-verify over time will encourage some people to leave on their own. If they can't get a job here, they can't get work here, a number of them will leave. And that's part of the whole enforce-the-law process that I was talking about before — biometric system at the border on visas, E-verify on employment inside the country, and secure our border at the southern border,” he said.[97] [98]
- On November 16, 2015, Christie stated his opposition to New Jersey issuing driver’s licenses to residents who could not verify that they lived the U.S. legally. “I am disturbed by the Legislature even considering making undocumented individuals eligible for New Jersey driver’s licenses. As a former United States Attorney, I know that the driver’s license is the single most important piece of homeland security information. Yet the Legislature proposes giving that to people with no definitive proof of their identity,” said Christie in a statement.[99]
- On September 8, 2015, Christie criticized the mayor of New York Mayor de Blasio’s and President Obama's positions on sanctuary cities and marijuana legalization. “It’s less safe in this city, but to give Mayor de Blasio credit, he’s not the only one who’s doing this, because the president has encouraged this lawlessness. Sanctuary cities across the country, where if you’re mayor and you don’t want to enforce the immigration law? Eh, don’t bother, because the president doesn’t like those laws. You wanna get high in Colorado and Washington, even though marijuana’s against the law in this country? Eh go ahead. It’s coming from the top.”[100]
- On August 29, 2015, Christie recommended tracking immigrants on visas with a system similar to FedEx shipment tracking. “At any moment, FedEx can tell you where that package is. It’s on the truck. It’s at the station. It’s on the airplane. Yet we let people come to this country with visas, and the minute they come in, we lose track of them. … We need to have a system that tracks you from the moment you come in,” he said.[101]
- On September 2, 2015, Christie clarified his comments. He said, “I don't mean people are packages. We should use biometric technology to track people who come as visitors. They are not immigrants, they are not immigrating here. They are here to visit for a period of time, get an education or do something we permit them to do to visit our country, and we should track those people and they should not stay over the period of time they do." [102]
- Christie expressed support for “Kate’s Law” on August 18, 2015. The bill would institute a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for foreigners who were previously deported and reentered the country without documentation.[103]
- In a radio interview on August 12, 2015, Christie questioned the application of the Fourteenth Amendment, which grants citizenship to any person born in the United States, in modern times. “I think all this stuff needs to be reexamined in light of the current circumstances. [Birthright citizenship] may have made sense at some point in our history, but right now, we need to re-look at all that,” Christie explained.[104]
- Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation" on August 23, 2015, Christie suggested birthright citizenship was not politically feasible. “It's in the Constitution. And I don't think that we should be looking to change it. Now, what I said was, if we wanted to have comprehensive immigration reform, I would be willing to listen to anything. But the truth of the matter is that that is not something we should be being focused on. That's an applause line. The fact is, it's in the Constitution. Let's talk about the things that we can fix and fix simply, without having to amend the Constitution, where we will need, you know, two-thirds of the Congress and 38 states to agree,” Christie said.[105]
- On August 4, 2015, Christie said E-Verify was more important to immigration reform than a pathway to citizenship because people come to the United States "to work and to support their family" rather than to vote.[106]
- In July 2015, Christie said in an interview on CNN's "New Day," "There should be no special way for anybody to be able to get citizenship any different than any other foreigners." He added a critique of his 2016 presidential rival Hillary Clinton, saying, "I think, you know, Secretary Clinton talks about path to citizenship for people who are here illegally – she’s just pandering."[107][108]
- Christie had previously supported a pathway to citizenship in 2010, but explained he now believed people do not come to the United States to vote, they come to work. "And quite frankly, a lot of those folks are been exploited by these employers who are paying them significantly lower wages in order to make a greater profit. Those people need to be penalized for that, and that will be the way to stop the flow from wherever they're coming from, south of the border or elsewhere, into this country illegally," Christie said.[108][109]
- In 2014, Christie used his line item veto authority to reject tuition aid grants for undocumented immigrant students who attended state colleges and universities.[110]
- In 2013, Christie signed legislation that allowed undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges, universities and community colleges. Eligible candidates must have attended a New Jersey high school for at least three years and graduated from that high school. Christie conditionally vetoed a version of the bill that also would have granted in-state financial aid to undocumented immigrant students.[111]
- In 2010, Christie expressed support for a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. He stated, "The president and the Congress have to step up to the plate, they have to secure our borders and they have to put forward a commonsense path to citizenship for people."[109]
Education
- When asked on January 18, 2016, what he would do to improve school lunches, Chris Christie responded, “Doesn't the president of the United States have anything better to do than to worry about what you are having for lunch? Let me tell you this, I don't care.” He added, “I think that this intervention into our school system is just another example of how the Obamas believe that they've got a better answer for everything than you do.”[112]
- At a campaign stop in Iowa, Christie has called for reform of higher education costs by requiring colleges to “itemize and unbundle tuition bills, so that students and parents have greater insight and control over where and how their money is being spent,” ABC News reported on December 7, 2015. He argued too much money is being spent on “an epidemic of rock-climbing walls.” He also questioned why every child is not given an iPad to replace “outdated” textbooks.[113]
- Christie, on October 9, 2015, decried the state of the American education system, commenting that it "is no longer designed for maximizing the potential of our children. It's designed for the comfort of the adults who run it." He suggested that teachers unions existed for profit and to protect inferior educators.[114]
- Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on August 2, 2015, Christie said the Federation of Teachers was “the single most destructive force in public education in America.”[115]
- In a May 28, 2015, speech at Burlington County College in Pemberton, N.J., Christie came out against Common Core. He said, "It's now been five years since Common Core was adopted and the truth is that it's simply not working. It has brought only confusion and frustration to our parents and has brought distance between our teachers and the communities where they work. Instead of solving problems in our classrooms, it is creating new ones." New Jersey was one of the first states to adopt Common Core, which are national standards that outline skills every child should learn at each grade level. Christie voiced his support for the standards early in his first term, according to NJ.com.[116][117]
- In response to concerns from parents and legislators, Christie issued an executive order creating a commission to study the effectiveness of all testing in New Jersey's K-12 schools, according to a July 14, 2014, press release. The commission was tasked with studying the "volume, frequency, and impact of student testing occurring throughout New Jersey school districts, including those administered for college admission, college credit, and college pathways."[118] The commission was also expected to study the effects of implementing Common Core education standards.[118]
- Christie expressed his support for Common Core on August 7, 2013, stating, "We are doing Common Core in New Jersey and we’re going to continue. And, this is one of those areas where I have agreed more with the President than not."[119]
- Christie implemented a new law in 2012 that made it more difficult for teachers to obtain and maintain tenure status. The law increased the number of years that a teacher had to work before receiving tenure from three to four years. It also stated that if a teacher earned low ratings in two consecutive years, he or she could be fired.[120]
- In 2011, Christie approved 23 applications for new charter schools in New Jersey.[121]
- In 2010, Christie signed a bill allowing parents to send their children to other public schools with low enrollment. This was limited to 10 percent of each district's students.[122]
- Leading up to his 2010 gubernatorial election, Christie emphasized education reform. Christie stated that he wanted to hold teachers accountable and to reward exceptional performance with merit pay.[123][124]
- In 2009, Christie told members of the Orthodox community that he supported, "a bipartisan bill to provide tax credits for parents who send their children to private and parochial schools."[125]
- In 2009, Christie expressed his support for state-funded vouchers that parents could use to send children in failing schools to private schools or to public schools in other school districts. He also indicated that he would like to see more charter schools in the cities.[126]
Abortion
- On MSNBC's Morning Joe on February 4, 2016, Chris Christie criticized Marco Rubio’s stance on abortion. He said, "On the issue of pro-life, Marco Rubio is not for an exception for rape, incest or life of the mother. I think that's the kind of position that New Hampshire voters would be really concerned about. I'm pro-life but I believe that rape, incest and the life of the mother -- as Ronald Reagan did -- should be exceptions to that rule.” According to CNN, “Rubio himself believes only in exceptions to abortion bans only for the life of the mother, and not for cases of rape or incest.”[127]
- Christie denied donating to Planned Parenthood on January 10, 2016, in response to an allegation from Marco Rubio that he had. “I never donated to Planned Parenthood,” Christie told CBS on Face the Nation. A spokeswoman also denied the accusation after the campaign was asked by The Wall Street Journal about a quote from Christie in a 2012 book, Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power, which said, “I support Planned Parenthood privately with my personal contribution.” Christie has described himself as pro-choice early in his political career, and later became pro-life.[128]
- On September 29, 2015,, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) criticized Christie’s role in defunding Planned Parenthood in New Jersey. "We know in New Jersey, in my state, where this Gov. Chris Christie spent so much of his leverage defunding Planned Parenthood and then suggesting that the federally qualified health care centers would be able to pick up the slack. They came in and testified they couldn't possibly accommodate all the deficiencies that would occur without Planned Parenthood," she said.[129]
- Christie criticized congressional Republicans for their inability to get important legislation passed during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on September 20, 2015. He argued that Congress should defund Planned Parenthood and let President Barack Obama veto the legislation. Christie said, "We gave them majorities in 2010 in the House and then in 2014 in the Senate, and they’ve done nothing with them. They need to do some things. Now, if the president’s going to veto them, that’s the president’s choice. But at least let the American people know who the obstructionist is. ...Let the American people see that he stands with the folks who believe that the systematic murder of children in the womb, in a way that preserves the body parts to be sold on the open market for profit is something that he stands for."[130]
- During CNN's September 16 Republican presidential debate, Christie cited his efforts in New Jersey to deny Planned Parenthood government funding. He said, "I've vetoed Planned Parenthood funding, now, eight times in New Jersey. Since the day I walked in as governor, Planned Parenthood has not been funded in New Jersey. We stood up and every one of those vetoes has been sustained."[131]
- In July 2015, Christie promised to defund Planned Parenthood if elected president. To show his commitment to this pledge, Christie cited his record of defunding the organization in six New Jersey state budgets.[132]
- Christie considered himself "pro-choice" until 1995, when he first heard the heartbeat of his daughter in the womb. He stated, "I was driving back to work, I said to myself, you know, as to my position on abortion, I would say that a week ago that wasn't a life. And I heard that heartbeat. That’s a life. And it – it led to me having a real reflection on my position. And when I took time to reflect on it, I just said, you know what, I’m not comfortable with that anymore."[133]
- In 2011, Christie stated, "I am pro-life, I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. That's my position, take it or leave it."[134]
- In 2009, Christie said that he supported "restrictions on abortion rights such as banning partial-birth abortions and requiring parental notification and a 24-hour waiting period."[135]
Gay rights
- When asked about a California law that allows transgender children to use the bathroom of their choice, Chris Christie said on December 21, 2015, “Life is confusing enough right now for our children. Think about those kids in Los Angeles who last week had their entire district closed because of a threat. Think about what they felt like the next day when they went back to school. Did they feel completely comfortable, did they feel like they were safe? … The fact though is that we want our kids not to have to decide which bathroom they get to go in. And not to be subject to peer pressure about which one to go in. … Why do we do this to our children? It doesn't make any sense. So I don't know. I'm the common sense guy from New Jersey, you know, I don't think life needs to be this complicated. I think it needs to be a lot more straightforward.”[136]
- After being presented with his own quote (“she [Kim Davis] is sworn to uphold the law") during the September 2015 GOP debate, Christie answered: “She is, and so if she, based on conscience, can't sign that -- that marriage license, then there should be someone in her office to be able to do it, and if the law needs to be changed in the state of Kentucky, which is what she's advocating, it should be changed.” Kim Davis was a Kentucky clerk who refused to give out same-sex marriage licenses and was subsequently jailed.[137]
- On August 10, 2015, Christie vetoed a bill that would have enabled transgender people to modify their birth certificate if they could provide proof from a medical professional that they were undergoing gender transition. Christie said, “Birth certificates unlock access to many of our nation and state’s critical and protected benefits such as passports, driver’s licenses, and social services, as well as other important security-dependent allowances. Accordingly, I remain committed to the principle that efforts to significantly alter State law concerning the issuance of vital records that have the potential to create legal uncertainties should be closely scrutinized and sparingly approved.”[138]
- On June 26, 2015, Chris Christie stated he approved of Chief Justice John Roberts' dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges and believed that marriage equality "is something that shouldn't be decided by a group of lawyers, but should be decided by the people." Christie added, "That being said, those five lawyers get to impose it under our system and so our job is going to be to support the law of the land. And that under the Supreme Court's ruling is now the law of the land, but I don’t agree with the way it's been done. But I take an oath and the same way I've supported and enforced the law here in New Jersey since our Supreme Court made their 7-0 decision on same-sex marriage and I've supported and endorsed that law, I would have to do the same across the country. But I want to be clear, I don’t agree with the way it was done. But it's been done and those of us who take an oath have a responsibility to abide by that oath."[139][140]
- In 2012, Chris Christie expressed his support for civil unions. Although he was opposed to legalizing gay marriage, he said that he believed same-sex couples in a civil union deserved to receive the same benefits as married couples and to be protected from discrimination.[141]
- In 2012, Christie vetoed a bill passed in the New Jersey legislature that would have legalized same-sex marriage. A New Jersey trial court ruled in 2013 that the state had to allow same-sex marriage, after which Christie appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court. The court made it clear that Christie's appeal had little chance of success, and in October 2013, Christie withdrew the appeal and gay marriage became legal in New Jersey. Christie's spokesman stated, "Although the governor strongly disagrees with the court substituting its judgment for the constitutional process of the elected branches or a vote of the people, the court has now spoken clearly as to their view of the New Jersey Constitution and, therefore, same-sex marriage is the law."[142]
Civil liberties
- On November 9, 2015, Chris Christie vetoed legislation that proposed implementing “automatic voter registration when voters apply for driver's licenses, “creating two weeks of in-person early voting and enacting online voter registration,” according to The Huffington Post. Christie explained the veto in the following statement: “New Jersey taxpayers deserve better than to have their hard-earned tax dollars spent on thinly-veiled political gamesmanship and the State must ensure that every eligible citizen’s vote counts and is not stolen by fraud.”[143]
- Christie unequivocally stated in July 2015 that marijuana would not be legal under a Christie administration. “If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it. As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws,” Christie said.[144]
- In June 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal led by Christie, who hoped to overturn a ban on sports betting in New Jersey.[145] Although he expressed his disappointment, Christie vetoed an August 2014 bill that would have circumvented federal law in order to legalize sports betting. Christie said that he wanted to "determine if a different approach towards sports wagering would comply with federal law."[146]
- In September of the same year, Christie issued a statement saying that sports betting in casinos and racetracks was legal under New Jersey law. State Attorney General John Hoffman explained that while New Jersey law could not authorize sports betting, it could tacitly allow it, leaving it to the federal government to enforce the law. The four major sports leagues had fought to keep sports betting illegal, saying that it was prohibited by the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) and that it could give rise to suspicions of bets influencing the outcome of games.[147]
Urban policy
- On January 26, 2016, Chris Christie announced a deal to keep Atlantic City from filing for bankruptcy. According to The New York Times, “The agreement falls short of an outright takeover by the state of the city’s government, but it would leave state officials to make all of the important decisions about how to reduce its crushing debt of $240 million and slash the size and cost of its civil services.” Christie commented on the plan saying, “The urgency of the city’s current financial predicament cannot be understated.”[148] A week earlier, Christie had vetoed a financial aid package for Atlantic City. Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts explained the veto, saying, “Atlantic City government has been given over five years and two city administrations to deal with its structural budget issues and excessive spending. It has not. The governor is not going to ask the taxpayers to continue to be enablers in this waste and abuse."[149]
- During a campaign event in New Hampshire on January 5, 2016, Christie discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and the race riots in the 1960s, in response to a question on how Christie would prevent "the sort of riots that ‘destroyed cities’ in the 1960s?” Christie responded that the “circumstances today are certainly different than in the 1960s” and noted that the riots were in response to “a completely racist enforcement of the law, especially in our southern states” and the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He continued, “Justice has to be more than a word, everybody, justice has to become a way of life in our country. The attorney general, law enforcement officers and elected officials across the country have to be reminded that the perception of justice is almost important as justice itself.”[150]
- Christie said on November 11, 2015, that he had no intention to meet with Black Lives Matter activists. “When a movement like that calls for the murder of police officers...no President of the United States should dignify a group like that by saying anything positive about them, and no candidate for president, like Hillary Clinton, should give them any credibility by meeting with them, as she's done. … I want the Black Lives Matter people to understand: Don't call me for a meeting. You're not getting one,” he said.[151]
- In an interview with CBS’ John Dickerson on October 25, 2015, Christie criticized President Obama for “encourag[ing]” the Black Lives Matter movement and the “murder of police.” Christie said, “The problem is this, there's lawlessness in this country. The president encourages this lawlessness. He encourages it. He does not support the police, he doesn't back up the police, he justifies Black Lives Matter. … I don't believe that movement should be calling for the murder of police officers." When Dickerson said that Black Lives Matter activists were not advocating for that, Christie responded, “Sure, they are. They've been chanting in the streets for the murder of police officers."[152]
- In October 2015, Christie dismissed the idea that New Jersey's low murder rates were correlated with the state's strict gun control regulations. Instead, he focused on the importance of improving mental health regulations to counter mass shooting incidents, including making the "involuntary commitment of people who speak violently easier for doctors."[153]
- Christie reportedly settled a $9 billion pollution case against Exxon, for its contamination of waters near Linden, New Jersey, for approximately $250 million. Richard Stewart, a former head of the Justice Department's environmental division under President George H.W. Bush's administration, "noted the 'striking disparity between the damages claimed, which have been exhaustively litigated, and the settlement amount,' particularly with a judicial ruling expected soon."[154]
- In 2014, Christie conditionally vetoed S 2264 - Urban Hope Act, which extended provisions for charter-like privatized "renaissance schools" in Camden, Trenton and Newark, because it included increased pension benefits. He signed a version of the bill without these retirement benefits in October 2014.[155]
- Christie signed the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013 on September 18, 2013, which designated New Jersey cities Camden, Trenton, Passaic City and Paterson as "Garden State Growth Zones," where development and private sector job growth would be encouraged through property tax abatements and other benefits.[156]
- In July 2011, Christie signed S 2972, which provided greater tax incentives for businesses in urban transit hubs. In addition to expanding the Economic Redevelopment and Growth Grant program, other features of the bill included "increasing the credit for residential projects from 20% to 35% of eligible costs over 10 years; providing that affordable housing requirements for an Urban Hub project are to be determined in the sole discretion of the municipality; allowing mixed use projects to receive tax credits for both the residential component and the commercial components of a project; allowing the tax credits to be carried forward for up to 20 years; clarifying existing law that property located within an Urban Hub area, but adjacent to a rail spur for freight rail that is not within an Urban Hub area, is eligible; and providing new standards and procedures for the net benefit analysis for in-state job moves."[157]
- While campaigning for governor of New Jersey in 2009, Christie advocated for increasing education options for urban communities. According to the Associated Press, Christie recommended "state-funded vouchers that students in failing schools could use to pay tuition at private schools or at public schools in other communities" and opening more charter schools.[158]
Rural policy
- In January 2016, Chris Christie defended the annual bear hunt in New Jersey, suggesting it was a form of population control. He said, "We've gotten more and more reports of bears coming into suburban neighborhoods. I'm not going to change my policy."[159]
- Christie was interrupted by animal rights activists during his speech at the Iowa State Fair on August 22, 2015. After the protesters were removed from the stage, Christie said, “Let me be really clear. I believe that farmers should be able to make the decisions about how best to raise their livestock. Not government bureaucrats.”[160]
- During a campaign event in Iowa in July 2015, Christie said he had vetoed a bill prohibiting gestation crates in pig farming in New Jersey because there were so few pig farms in the state. "We have almost no pig farms in New Jersey and, from the pig farms we do have, none of them use these gestation crates. So typical of my Democratic legislature, we were banning something we didn't do. So I vetoed both of those bills ... in large measure because of advice I got from Governor Branstad and the education he allowed me to have on that issue," he explained. He added that he would appoint someone with agricultural experience to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He said, "One of the biggest problems we have with the USDA is that we have people who are placed in charge who don't have the real life experience that folks have in dealing with the agricultural community. All too often they are professional Washington folks who are just putting forth an agenda that's been given to them from on high."[161]
- Appearing at the Iowa Agriculture Summit in March 2015, Christie said, "We should have a clear, legal, reliable guest worker program that folks in agriculture, and others, can rely upon, and that makes sense."[162]
- Christie announced in December 2012 the launch of the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship to recruit top STEM graduates to become public teachers in underserved New Jersey schools, including several in rural areas.[163]
- In 2011, Christie signed legislation that provided $90.6 million in grants to farmland preservation. Christie also signed into law a bill "requiring that an effort be made by food concession stands in state government facilities to place [certain New Jersey-farmed] products in prominent locations and to clearly identify them to patrons."[164]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Chris + Christie + 2016
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 CNN, "Chris Christie suspends campaign, source says," February 10, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "WATCH LIVE: Christie kicks off presidential campaign at 11 a.m.," June 30, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Chris Christie on 2016 presidential run: 'I’m thinking about it'," August 14, 2014
- ↑ New York Daily News, "Election 2016: A look at possible candidates and who could run in the next presidential race," August 17, 2013
- ↑ Politico, "GOP 2016 hopefuls slated for NYC event," August 26, 2013
- ↑ Center on the American Governor, "The Governors Who Became President: Brief Biographies," accessed October 30, 2013
- ↑ Crowdpac, "2016 Presidential Election," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ Leadership Project for American PAC, "Candidate's Grades and Comparisons," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "For our safety, our future: Chris Christie for President," November 28, 2015
- ↑ USA Today, "Christie wins New Hampshire Union Leader endorsement," November 29, 2015
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," March 9, 2023
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
- ↑ CBS News, "Chris Christie: Poverty can be 'a difficult thing to talk about,'" January 9, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: Fox Business undercard GOP debate," November 10, 2015
- ↑ Omaha.com, "In Iowa, Chris Christie says tax code is ‘rigged for the rich,’" October 22, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie vows no N.J. gas tax hike without other tax cuts," September 28, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Transcript: G.O.P. Presidential Undercard Featuring Jindal and Huckabee," November 10, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Full text of Christie's New Hampshire economic policy speech," May 12, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Transcript: Piers Morgan Tonight," June 14, 2011
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie pledges six-month freeze on federal regulations," December 20, 2015
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Slate, “Free-Market Cheerleader Chris Christie Blocks Tesla Sales in New Jersey," March 12, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie says Tesla criticism is 'complete crap,' " accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey, “Governor Chris Christie's Remarks At The American Chamber Of Commerce Of Mexico," September 3, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "December Ex-Im extension — Christie touts free trade in Mexico — ‘Steady progress’ in Hanoi," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ CNBC, "CNBC Exclusive: CNBC's John Harwood Interviews New Jersey Governor Chris Christie From CNBC Institutional Investor Delivering Alpha Conference Today," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Christie Announces Plan for State Control of Atlantic City’s Finances," January 26, 2016
- ↑ ABC6 WPVI Philadelphia, "AFTER CHRISTIE VETOES AID, ATLANTIC CITY EYES BANKRUPTCY," January 20, 2016
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Christie to Propose Small-Business Tax Cuts," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ Cato Institute, “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors: 2012," accessed December 9, 2014
- ↑ USA Today, "Animal rights activists interrupt Chris Christie speech," August 22, 2015
- ↑ Vote Smart, “Governor Christie Signs Legislation Making $90.6 Million Available for Farmland Preservation to Keep Jersey Fresh Products Thriving in the Garden State," August 17, 2011
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript: Fox Business undercard GOP debate," November 10, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Chris Christie Pushes Means Test for Social Security in New Hampshire," April 14, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Christie knocks candidates for being 'vague' on entitlement reform," July 25, 2015
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 The Political Guide, “Chris Christie on Social Security," October 3, 2011
- ↑ Politico, “Chris Christie: Nation of couch potatoes," April 10, 2012
- ↑ USA Today, "New Jersey protesters follow Gov. Chris Christie to N.H.," February 8, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Gov. Chris Christie Targets Unions, Democrats in State of the State Address," January 12, 2016
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, “New Jersey's Chris Christie Vows to Persevere on Pension Reform," July 1, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie's State of the State address light on pension specifics," accessed January 22, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript of the New Hampshire GOP debate, annotated," February 6, 2016
- ↑ Commentary Magazine, “Is Christie the Foreign Policy candidate?" July 26, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "6th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 14, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Christie Spins His Version of Security Record on Trail," December 26, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Chris Christie: ‘Iran is a Greater Threat Than ISIS’," December 4, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript of the New Hampshire GOP debate, annotated," February 6, 2016
- ↑ Asbury Park Press, "Chris Christie on North Korea’s nuclear test," January 6, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie does about-face on accepting Syrian refugees," October 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie gives fiery speech in Florida in aftermath of Paris attacks (VIDEO)," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ ABC News, "Chris Christie: San Bernardino Proves He Was Right to Warn Against Women and Children Refugees," December 5, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Jeb Bush Splits With Republicans Over Syrian Refugees," November 17, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Rush Transcript second debate: CNN Facebook Republican Presidential Debate," December 15, 2015
- ↑ Mediaite, "Chris Christie: ‘Weakling’ John Kerry to Blame for Terrible Iran Deal," September 15, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg Politics, "Walker, Christie, Kasich, Jindal to Keep State Sanctions on Iran," September 8, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Christie: Obama must have paid off Iran deal backers," September 2, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, "Chris Christie Pushes Cory Booker to Oppose Iran Deal," August 25, 2015
- ↑ POLITICKERNJ, "Christie pans Obama-backed nuclear deal with Iran," July 14, 2015
- ↑ BuzzFeed, "Chris Christie Says He Didn’t Support Sonia Sotomayor’s Confirmation (He Did)," January 10, 2016
- ↑ CBS News, "Chris Christie makes a Supreme Court promise," August 20, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Gov. Chris Christie draws sharp criticism on decision to not reappoint N.J. Supreme Court Justice Wallace," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ Philly.com, “Christie acts to replace only black N.J. justice He nominated Anne M. Patterson to the high court.," May 4, 2010
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Chris Christie: Get Kim Davis another government job ‘because you have to follow the law’," September 8, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "In suit against state, Newark archbishop and attorneys blast 'egregious,' 'unconstitutional' law," July 21, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, “A Chris Christie reversal on campaign finance limits: Editorial," April 17, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, "Chris Christie calls for unlimited campaign donations with 48-hour reporting period," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ New Jersey, “Governor Christie Proposes Rigorous Ethics Reforms Package," September 8, 2010
- ↑ New York Times, "New Jersey Governor Unveils Ethics Reforms," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie breaks silence on Indiana 'religious freedom' law," accessed April 15, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Chris Christie refuses to sign bill to roll back controversial smart gun law," January 19, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie vetoes controversial smart gun bill," January 19, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie just said what about universal background checks for guns?" January 16, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "6th Republican debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 14, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie concedes 'I've changed my mind' on guns," January 7, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Times, "Chris Christie hopes nation will ‘sober’ up, bring back NSA phone snooping," December 3, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Transcript of the New Hampshire GOP debate, annotated," February 6, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Chris Christie Announces Closing New Jersey Prison to Become Drug Treatment Facility," January 12, 2016
- ↑ Palm Beach Post, Chris Christie lays out three-part drug-addiction plan in Boca Raton," December 7, 2015
- ↑ Bloomberg View, "Chris Christie's Empathy Goes Viral," November 4, 2015
- ↑ AM New York, "Cuomo and Christie say NY and NJ will pay for half of $20 billion tunnel," September 16, 2015
- ↑ 83.0 83.1 Environmental Leader, “New Jersey Quits RGGI, Bans Coal Plants," May 27, 2011
- ↑ NJ.com, “Gov. Chris Christie at Paulsboro Marine Terminal to sign wind energy bill into law," August 19, 2010
- ↑ NJ.gov, “Governor Christie Promotes Shore Protection Initiatives as Key to Sustaining New Jersey’s Distinctive Shore Resources and Communities," August 11, 2011
- ↑ Pew Trusts, “In New Jersey, Christie Vetoes Anti-Fracking Bill," September 24, 2012
- ↑ New Jersey, “Governor Chris Christie's Remarks At The American Chamber Of Commerce Of Mexico," September 3, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey, “Governor Christie Calls EPA’s Approval of New Jersey Clean Air Act Petition a Major Step Towards Significantly Reducing Polluting Emissions from Pennsylvania Power Plant," October 31, 2011
- ↑ New Jersey, “New Jersey to Receive $714,000 for Anti-Pollution Programs as Result of Participation in Multi-State Legal Settlement with Midwest Utility," February 25, 2013
- ↑ Law 360, “Christie's Clean Water Plan Extension Signed Into Law," January 16, 2014
- ↑ Law 360, “NJ Gov. Christie Conditionally Vetoes Forestry Bill," August 19, 2013
- ↑ NJ.com, “Christie calls Obamacare a 'failed federal program,'" March 18, 2014
- ↑ The Political Guide, “Chris Christie on Health Care," October 9, 2010
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Politico, “Chris Christie nixes state-run insurance exchange," December 7, 2012
- ↑ NJ.com, “Gov. Christie to announce expansion of Medicaid in budget speech, sources say," February 26, 2013
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Byron York: A few questions for Chris Christie on immigration," January 18, 2016
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Chris Christie Flip-Flops On Self-Deportation," January 19, 2016
- ↑ CBS New York, "Christie Opposes Driver’s Licenses For Undocumented Immigrants," November 16, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Chris Christie slams NYC mayor: ‘It’s less safe in this city,’" September 8, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Chris Christie Proposes Tracking Immigrants the Way FedEx Tracks Packages," August 29, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Chris Christie Expands On His Idea To Track Immigrants More Closely," September 2, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie calls for passage of 'Kate's Law,' defunding of 'sanctuary cities'," August 19, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "Christie no longer sure about birthright citizenship," August 12, 2015
- ↑ CBS News, "Face the Nation transcript August 23, 2015: Trump, Christie & Cruz," August 23, 2015
- ↑ Daily Caller, "Christie: Path to Citizenship 'Is Garbage'," August 4, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Chris Christie: No 'special way' for illegal immigrants to get U.S. citizenship," July 20, 2015
- ↑ 108.0 108.1 CNN, "Transcripts: New Day," July 17, 2015
- ↑ 109.0 109.1 ABC News, "FLASHBACK: Christie in 2010 Supported ‘Pathway to Citizenship,' " accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, “Chris Christie pushes pension reform, battles with protesters in wake of new NJ budget," July 2, 2014
- ↑ NJ.com, “Chris Christie signs bill granting in-state tuition to N.J. immigrants," December 20, 2013
- ↑ CBS News, "Chris Christie: Keep the White House out of the cafeteria," January 18, 2016
- ↑ ABC News, "Chris Christie Wants Fewer Rock-Climbing Walls, More iPads in Education," December 7, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie confronted by teacher in N.H., and he agrees with him," October 10, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Christie: Teachers' union deserves 'punch in face'," August 2, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie: Dump Common Core education standards," May 28, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Christie bails on Common Core ahead of presidential bid," May 28, 2015
- ↑ 118.0 118.1 State of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie, "Governor Christie Establishes Study Commission to Review the Effectiveness of All K-12 Student Assessments," accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ Higher Core Standards, “ICYMI: VIDEO: Governor Chris Christie: Republican Governors Are Leading the Way on Common Core," August 2013
- ↑ NY Daily News, “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gets tough on teacher tenure as new law requires educators to work four years before they can reach status," August 6, 2012
- ↑ Fox News, “Christie Expands Number of Charter Schools in New Jersey," June 19, 2011
- ↑ Watchdog.org, “Chris Christie needs to step up for school choice," January 31, 2014
- ↑ New York Times, “Christie Aims at Democrats Unhappy With Poor Schools," June 18, 2009
- ↑ State of New Jersey, Department of Education, "The Christie Reform Agenda: Putting New Jersey's Children First By Challenging the System," accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ NJ Jewish News, “Christie holds meeting with Orthodox leaders," August 6, 2009
- ↑ NJ.com, “GOP gov. candidate Chris Christie condemns N.J. public schools as Gov. Corzine heralds system," June 22, 2009
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Marco Rubio turns abortion attack on Hillary Clinton," February 4, 2016
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Chris Christie Says He Never Donated to Planned Parenthood," January 10, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "WATCH: N.J.'s Watson Coleman attacks Christie over Planned Parenthood funding," September 29, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Christie tells GOP to defund Planned Parenthood," accessed September 20, 2015
- ↑ Washington Post, "Wednesday’s GOP debate transcript, annotated," accessed September 16, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie vows to defund Planned Parenthood if elected president," July 22, 2015
- ↑ MSNBC, "The other part of Christie’s ‘record’ on abortion rights," February 27, 2015
- ↑ NPR, "Don't Read Virginia Result As Pro-Choice: It's Anti-Extreme," November 9, 2013
- ↑ NJ.com, “Chris Christie promises change to a 'broken' state in campaign kickoff," February 4, 2009
- ↑ CNN Politics, "Christie: Transgender bathrooms, terrorism confuse kids," December 21, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "CNN Reagan Library Debate: Later Debate Full Transcript," September 16, 2015
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Chris Christie Vetoes Bill That Would Have Allowed Transgender People To Change Their Birth Certificates," August 10, 2015
- ↑ YouTube, "Governor Christie on Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage," June 26, 2015
- ↑ The Miami Herald, "Presidential contenders react to same-sex marriage ruling," June 26, 2015
- ↑ New York Times, “Christie Keeps His Promise to Veto Gay Marriage Bill," February 17, 2012
- ↑ The Seattle Times, “NJ Gov. Chris Christie drops challenge to gay marriage; conservatives are angry," October 21, 2013
- ↑ The Huffington Post, "Chris Christie Vetoes Election Reform Bill In New Jersey," November 9, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Chris Christie doubles down on marijuana comments," July 29, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Chris Christie disappointed with Supreme Court sports betting decision," accessed January 26, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, “Christie vetoes bill that would have allowed sports betting at N.J. casinos, race tracks," August 9, 2014
- ↑ Press of Atlantic City, “Christie says casinos, racetracks can take sports bets under N.J. law," September 8, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Christie Announces Plan for State Control of Atlantic City’s Finances," January 26, 2016
- ↑ ABC6 WPVI Philadelphia, "After Christie Vetoes Aid, Atlantic City Eyes Bankruptcy," January 20, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Chris Christie Differentiates Black Lives Matter From 1960s Unrest," January 5, 2016
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie bashes Clinton as he draws bigger Iowa crowds," November 11, 2015
- ↑ Face The Nation, "Chris Christie: Some Black Lives Matter followers call for killing cops," October 25, 2015
- ↑ The Record, "Christie dismisses link between tough gun laws, low murder rate," October 4, 2015
- ↑ The New York Times, "Exxon Settles $9 Billion Pollution Case in New Jersey for Far Less," February 27, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie signs bill to expand 'renaissance schools,'" October 6, 2014
- ↑ State of New Jersey, "Governor Chris Christie, "Governor Christie Signs Bipartisan Bill To Boost New Jersey’s Economy And Create Private Sector Jobs," September 18, 2013
- ↑ State of New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie, "Governor Christie Takes Action to Spur Job Creation Through Expanded Economic Development Programs," July 26, 2011
- ↑ NJ.com, "GOP gov. candidate Chris Christie condemns N.J. public schools as Gov. Corzine heralds system," June 22, 2009
- ↑ NJ.com, "Christie defends annual N.J. bear hunt while campaigning in N.H.," January 4, 2016
- ↑ USA Today, "Animal rights activists interrupt Chris Christie speech," August 22, 2015
- ↑ Agri-Pulse, "Gov. Christie shares thoughts on USDA, EPA and why he vetoed bill to ban gestation crates," July 26, 2015
- ↑ NJ.com, "For 20 minutes in Iowa, Christie tips his hand on what kind of 2016 candidate he'd be," March 8, 2015
- ↑ Asbury Park Press, "Christie touts STEM teacher program for high-need urban, rural NJ schools," December 7, 2012
- ↑ NJ.gov, "Governor Christie Signs Legislation Making $90.6 Million Available for Farmland Preservation to Keep Jersey Fresh Products Thriving in the Garden State," August 17, 2011
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