June 29, 2015
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to announce his presidential run on Tuesday. His campaign website is now live, touting the slogan “Telling It Like It Is.”
He is scheduled to make the announcement from his old high school, according to NPR. When he does, he will enter a crowded Republican field outside of the top-tier.
A lot has changed for Christie since the 2012 presidential election cycle when many Republicans were pushing him to enter the race. Since then, his poll numbers have dropped. A recent poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University found his favorability rating in New Jersey was 30 percent. In contrast, he won reelection to the governor's mansion in 2013 with 60 percent of the vote.
The following is a rundown of the issues and stories that may help explain Christie’s position as a candidate and whether he will be able to distinguish himself in the primary.
Last year, the New York Times Magazine called Christie, "an exceptionally gifted and nuanced politician."
Christie's appeal derives in part from the idea that he will say and do what others won't and isn't afraid to anger people, whether Republican or Democrat, in fixing difficult problems. To compliment his reputation for aggressiveness, he is often considered a gifted politician in small rooms and face-to-face encounters with voters.
"I think he’s got the retail political skills to do it," Terry Branstad, Iowa's Republican Governor, told Buzzfeed last October regarding Christie's chances of winning his state's caucuses.
"He is a hardworking guy," said Christie adviser Mike DuHaime to CNN . "He is good at listening to constituents in New Jersey, hearing their concerns, and he's able to show his knowledge on policy and translate it to people. And he certainly doesn't mind letting people know when he disagrees with them."
About two months after Christie won a landslide reelection, the George Washington Bridge scandal broke open, permanently altering the governor's political strength. After Christie insisted his administration had nothing to do with the closing of two local entrance lanes to the George Washington Bridge, the Record published a text message from Christie's then-Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly that said, “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”
The alleged motive for closing the lanes was to punish Mark Sokolich, the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, who declined to endorse the governor’s reelection bid. The scandal spotlighted Christie’s political operation, which lobbied Democratic mayors hard for their endorsement and touched on the flip side of Christie's straight-talking reputation - that he can come off as a bully.
David Wildstein, who took a plea deal in federal court, was a Christie appointee at the Port Authority and is considered the official who ordered the lanes closed. He is expected to testify against a former Port Authority colleague and Christie ally, Bill Baroni. Kelly also faces charges, which she says she will fight at her trial currently scheduled for November. The upcoming proceedings mean new revelations from the scandal may still emerge during the campaign.
Christie’s response to Hurricane Sandy, which devastated much of New Jersey’s shoreline, helped thrust him further onto the national stage. His presence on the shore in a blue fleece jacket were accompanied by high approval ratings. He loudly called for federal funds to help with the recovery and leveled criticism at the Republican-controlled House when they didn't respond quickly.
At one point, Christie held a news conference and expressed his disappointment.
"In our hour of desperate need, we've been left waiting for help six times longer than the victims of Katrina with no end in sight," said Christie, according to ABC News. "Sixty-six days and counting, shame on you. Shame on Congress."
His recovery effort is not without critics who have alleged that aid was slow get to some homeowners. But along with his presence and advocacy for rebuilding, he appeared with President Obama at the tail end of the 2012 election when this picture was snapped:
President Barack Obama is greeted by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie upon his arrival at Atlantic City International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Atlantic City, NJ. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press)
The pictured garnered some backlash from Republicans and is part of a problem he may face in the primary: many conservative voters believe he is too liberal. According to statistics news site Five Thirty Eight, Christie's chance of winning the Republican primary is low. The article from January was titled, "Chris Christie's Chances are Overrated."
The economy has gone from a potential attribute for a Christie candidacy to one full of obstacles. The state's credit rating has been repeatedly downgraded. New Jersey's unemployment rate is above the national average.
Then there is the issue of pensions. Christie helped make his reputation by tangling with Democrats and the state's public sector unions over pension reform - a persistent financial albatross for the state. In 2011, he passed a compromise reform bill. It increased the amount workers had to contribute as well as the amount the state would put towards the fund.
"It’s my biggest governmental victory because of what it means, because of how much it’s going to save," Christie said to the Star-Ledger back in 2011. "I think it’s really a big deal."
Then last year, Christie announced the state would make a smaller payment than what was called for in the 2011 law because of a revenue shortfall.
Earlier this month, the New Jersey state Supreme Court ruled that Christie's decision to cut the state's contribution was legal - the original law was ruled to be partly unconstitutional. This was a victory for the governor but Democrats have called Christie's decision a broken promise.
While Tuesday is the official campaign announcement, it is not a surprise that Christie is entering the race. He spent a lot of time in New Hampshire and Iowa - a travel schedule usually unique to people who are seeking the White House.
In addition, as head of the Republican Governor’s Association during the 2014 election cycle, he crisscrossed the country raising money for Republican candidates. And while his exact impact in each race can be debated, the election gave him the ability to say that he helped the party win more races than they lost, an argument that could go help with the inevitable question each presidential candidate faces - electability.
Right now, Christie has a long way to climb in the polls if he wants the nomination but it is early. Currently, according to a recent Fox poll, two percent of Republicans favor Christie, a total that was lower than the poll's margin of error.
