Voters in Alabama might be surprised to find Chris Christie’s name on the ballot this fall — but he’s not the one they might be thinking of.
An attorney from Birmingham bearing the same name as the former New Jersey governor is launching a run for the Yellowhammer State’s attorney general.
Despite sharing a name, the two men differ in at least one key way: Christie of Alabama is a Democrat, while Christie of New Jersey is a Republican.
“I’ve had a number of people tell me that I should change my name,” Alabama’s Christie told CNN. “My response is that I’ve been Christie all my life,”
The candidate is also pulling seniority over the New Jerseyan, saying in social media posts that he’s “the original Chris Christie, having been born three years before that other one.”
Four Republicans — including incumbent Attorney General Steve Marshall — are in the running for the office.
But Christie sees the recent win by new Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, who is also a Democrat, as a promising sign for his campaign.
“His having won makes me optimistic. But before he won, I was telling people that I thought I could win if Doug Jones just got close,” Christie said. “I think if people look at the different candidates for AG, then people will vote for me.
The first-time political candidate told CNN that he plans to travel to all 67 counties in the state so people can get to know him and understand his platform.
This isn’t the first time that one of the Christies has wanted to be an attorney general. The former New Jersey governor turned down several positions in President Donald Trump’s administration, including homeland security secretary, secretary of veterans affairs and ambassador to Italy, because he wanted to be attorney general.
That nomination ultimately went to a different Alabama man — then-Sen. Jeff Sessions.