Here’s a look at the life of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Personal:
Birth date: September 6, 1962
Birth place: Newark, New Jersey
Birth name: Christopher James Christie
Father: Wilbur “Bill” Christie, an accountant
Mother: Sondra (Grasso) Christie
Marriage: Mary Pat (Foster) Christie (1986-present)
Children: Bridget, 2003; Patrick, 2000; Sarah, 1996; Andrew, 1993
Education: University of Delaware, B.A., 1984; Seton Hall University, J.D., 1987
Religion: Roman Catholic
Other Facts:
While serving as the US attorney for New Jersey, Christie prosecuted more than 130 public officials for corruption.
A fan of Bruce Springsteen, Christie claims to have attended more than 100 of the New Jersey rocker’s performances.
Timeline:
1977 – Volunteers for Republican Tom Kean’s gubernatorial campaign.
1987-2002 – Attorney at the law firm of Dughi and Hewit, later named Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci P.C.
1992 – Co-coordinates President George H.W. Bush’s New Jersey re-election efforts.
1993 – Becomes a partner at Dughi and Hewit.
1995-1997 – Member of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
1997 – Director of the Freeholder Board.
2002-2008 – US attorney for New Jersey. Earns a reputation for being tough on corruption.
November 3, 2009 – Defeats Democrat Jon Corzine, winning the election for governor.
January 19, 2010-present – Republican Governor of New Jersey.
October 31, 2012 – Two days after Hurricane Sandy hits New Jersey, President Barack Obama visits the Garden State and tours devastated beach towns with Christie.
February 4, 2013 – During an appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” Christie pulls a doughnut out of his pocket and begins eating it mid-interview. Christie’s weight has often been commented on in the media and mocked by comedians.
May 7, 2013 – Christie reveals to the New York Post that he secretly underwent lap-band surgery for the sake of his wife and kids.
November 5, 2013 – Wins re-election.
November 21, 2013 – Becomes 2014 Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
January 8, 2014 – Emails emerge from Christie’s top aides bolstering suggestions that George Washington Bridge lane closures last year that tied up traffic stemmed from a political vendetta and not bureaucratic incompetence as his administration claimed.
June 30, 2015 – Formally announces he is running for the Republican presidential nomination during a speech in Livingston, New Jersey.
February 10, 2016 – Announces that he is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
February 26, 2016 – Endorses Donald Trump for president of the United States.
May 9, 2016 – Trump announces that Christie will lead his presidential transition team, serving as chairman of the group tasked with finding candidates for jobs in a potential Trump administration.
August 10, 2016 – In a text message, a Christie aide declares the governor “flat out lied” during a 2013 Bridgegate press conference, according to court documents filed in the criminal case against two Christie staffers accused of plotting to create a traffic jam in Fort Lee.
November 11, 2016 – After Trump wins the election, he shakes up his transition team, demoting Christie to a supporting role and selecting Vice President-elect Mike Pence to take Christie’s place as chair.
December 6, 2016 – A Quinnipiac University Poll indicates that 19% of voters approve of Christie’s job performance as governor and 77% disapprove. That’s the lowest score for a governor in 20 years of Quinnipiac’s polls of 11 different states.
January 27, 2017 – The Bergen County prosecutor’s office says it won’t pursue charges of official misconduct against Christie in the Bridgegate case.
February 16, 2017 – A municipal Bergen County judge rules that a misconduct case against Christie, stemming from a citizen’s complaint related to Bridgegate, can proceed in court.
March 29, 2017 – President Trump announces that Christie has been tapped to chair a commission that will seek ways to address the opioid crisis. On the same day, Christie’s former staffers, Bill Baroni and Bridget Anne Kelly are sentenced for their roles in the Bridgegate scandal. Baroni is sentenced to two years in prison while Kelly is sentenced to 18 months behind bars.
July 1, 2017 – Due to a dispute over a Christie-backed bill that would allow the state to control how Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield spends its cash reserve funds, the legislature fails to break an impasse during budget talks. As a result, Christie orders a government shutdown, closing state parks, courts, motor vehicle commission offices and unemployment offices statewide. Christie says the Democrats in the legislature created the crisis.
July 2, 2017 – As the government shutdown continues, Christie and his family vacation at one of the state parks that is closed during the holiday weekend. Island Beach State Park has a private governor’s residence, where Christie, his wife and other family members soak up sun on an empty beach. During the afternoon, the governor travels via state helicopter to Trenton to hold a news conference and denies that he has been enjoying the beach amid the crisis. Photos published by NJ Advance Media show that Christie was, in fact, sitting on a beach chair next to his wife earlier in the day. A spokesman for the governor says that technically Christie wasn’t “sunning” because he was wearing a baseball hat.
July 3-4, 2017 – The state legislature reaches a deal to reopen the government and Christie signs the budget into law. During a press conference, Christie says that the backlash over the beach photos was unwarranted. He says that he was transparent about his plans to visit the oceanfront residence during the weekend and questions the news value of the pictures. Christie says,”If they had flown the plane over that beach and I was sitting next to a 25-year-old blonde in that beach chair next to me, that’s a story. I wasn’t sitting next to a 25-year-old blonde. I was sitting next to my wife of 31 years.”
