1. Christopher James Christie was born on September 6,1962 and is an American politician and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018.
128 Facts About Chris Christie
1. 2.
Chris Christie was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and 2024.
3.
Chris Christie began his political career as a volunteer for Republican Thomas Kean's 1981 gubernatorial campaign.
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In 1994, Christie was elected as a county freeholder for Morris County, New Jersey.
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Chris Christie later worked for the 2000 presidential campaign of George W Bush; after Bush became president, he appointed Christie US Attorney for New Jersey, a position he held from January 2002 to December 2008.
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Chris Christie was re-elected by a wide margin in 2013, defeating State Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono.
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Chris Christie chaired the Republican Governors Association during the 2014 campaign.
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On June 30,2015, Christie announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, but he suspended his candidacy six months later following a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary.
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Chris Christie remained a close ally of Trump during his presidency but later emerged as a harsh critic following Trump's refusal to accept his loss in the 2020 United States presidential election and the subsequent January 6 Capitol attack.
10.
On June 6,2023, Christie announced his second presidential campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election.
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Chris Christie's campaign was notable in its sharp criticism of Trump compared to his fellow Republican candidates.
12.
Chris Christie ultimately dropped out of the Republican primary before voting started.
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In September 2024, it was announced that Christie would teach a course on political campaigns at Yale University's Jackson School of Global Affairs.
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Chris Christie's mother was of Italian ancestry, and his father is of German, Scottish, and Irish descent.
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Christie's family moved to Livingston, New Jersey, after the 1967 Newark riots, and Christie lived there until he graduated from Livingston High School in 1980.
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At Livingston, Christie served as class president, played catcher for the baseball team, and was selected as a New Jersey Representative to the United States Senate Youth Program.
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Chris Christie has credited his Democratic-leaning mother for indirectly making him a Republican by encouraging him to volunteer for the gubernatorial candidate who became his role model, Tom Kean.
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Chris Christie graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law with a JD in 1987.
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Chris Christie was admitted to the New Jersey State Bar Association and the Bar of the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in December 1987.
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Chris Christie was awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Rutgers University and Monmouth University in 2010.
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Chris Christie is a member of the American Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association and was a member of the Election Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
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From 1999 to 2001, Christie was registered statehouse lobbyist for Dughi and Hewit.
23.
In 1993, Christie launched a primary challenge against the New Jersey Senate Majority Leader, John H Dorsey.
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In 1994, Christie was elected as a Republican to the Board of Chosen Freeholders, or legislators, for Morris County, New Jersey, after he and a running mate defeated incumbents in the party primary.
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The lawsuit was settled out of court, with Christie acknowledging that the prosecutor had convened an "inquiry" instead of an "investigation", and apologizing for the error, which he said was unintentional.
26.
Chris Christie led a successful effort to bar county officials from accepting gifts from people and firms doing business with the county.
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Chris Christie successfully pushed for the dismissal of an architect hired to design a new jail, saying that the architect was costing taxpayers too much money.
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In 1995, Christie announced a bid for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly.
29.
Murphy, who had falsely accused Christie of having the county pay his legal bills in the architect's lawsuit, was sued by Christie after the election.
30.
Chris Christie helped raise $350,000 for Bush, qualifying him as a "Pioneer", and donated to DiFrancesco.
31.
Chris Christie was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on December 20,2001, and sworn into office on January 17,2002.
32.
Chris Christie's office included 137 attorneys, with offices in Newark, Trenton, and Camden.
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Chris Christie's office convicted or won guilty pleas from 130 public officials, both Republican and Democratic, at the state, county and local levels.
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In 2005, following an investigation, Christie negotiated a plea agreement with Charles Kushner, under which he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.
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From 2005 to 2007, Christie prosecuted the executives of Cendant for mail, wire, and securities fraud.
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Besides doubling the size of the anticorruption unit for New Jersey, Christie prosecuted other federal crimes.
37.
In 2007, Christie prosecuted the planners of the averted 2007 Fort Dix attack plot, which he has frequently mentioned as a career highlight.
38.
The investigation of Menendez continued for years after Christie left office as US Attorney, until Menendez was finally cleared on October 5,2011.
39.
Chris Christie then chose Kimberly Guadagno, Monmouth County sheriff, to complete his campaign ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor.
40.
In November 2012, Christie filed papers to run for a second term in office.
41.
Christie advisors said that Christie sought to win by a large margin to position himself for the presidential primaries and develop a model for other Republican candidates.
42.
Chris Christie chose not to move his family into Drumthwacket, the governor's official mansion, and instead resided in a private Mendham Township, New Jersey, residence.
43.
Chris Christie vowed to lower the state income and business taxes, with the qualification that this might not occur immediately.
44.
That same year, Christie signed into law a payroll tax cut authorizing the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to reduce payroll deduction for most employees from $148 to $61 per year.
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On five separate occasions, Christie vetoed legislation pushed by Democrats to implement a millionaire tax.
46.
On September 18,2013, Christie signed legislation to overhaul the state's business tax incentive programs.
47.
In March 2010, Christie signed into law three state pension reform bills, which had passed with bipartisan support.
48.
Chris Christie described the pension agreement as "a sacred trust".
49.
In June 2011, Christie announced a deal with the Democratic leadership of the legislature on a reform of public employee pensions and benefits.
50.
In October 2014, Christie signed a bill to legalize sports betting in New Jersey.
51.
State commissioner of education Chris Christie Cerf defended policies declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
52.
The Christie administration approved 23 new charter schools in January 2011, including New Jersey's first independent school for children with autism.
53.
On March 6,2013, the Christie administration released proposed regulations to overhaul the process of evaluating public-school teachers.
54.
In September 2014, Christie signed a partnership with Mexico on a higher-education project to foster economic cooperation.
55.
Chris Christie announced that, if elected, the agency would be his first target for government reduction: he would reduce its workforce and strip it of its fish and wildlife oversight.
56.
Chris Christie has proposed a list of policy measures to achieve this, including giving tax credits to businesses that build new wind energy and manufacturing facilities, changing land use rules to allow solar energy on permanently preserved farmland, installing solar farms on closed landfills, setting up a consolidated energy promotion program, and following a five-to-one production to non-production job ratio in the creation of new energy jobs.
57.
On May 26,2011, Christie announced he would pull the state out of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
58.
ExxonMobil had donated $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association while Christie was chairman, though they have insisted it was unrelated to the ongoing suit.
59.
In June 2013, Christie vetoed S1921, an animal welfare bill introduced by the Humane Society of the United States to prohibit the use of gestation crates on pregnant pigs in the state.
60.
In January 2013, Christie vetoed a New Jersey Legislature bill that would have raised the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour.
61.
On September 21,2012, Christie signed Assembly Bill No 2647 into law that requires employers to post and distribute notice of employees' rights to gender-equal pay, but conditionally vetoed other gender parity bills, requesting revision.
62.
In December 2013, Christie signed legislation allowing unauthorized immigrants who attend high school for at least three years in New Jersey and graduate to be eligible for the resident rates at state college and universities and community colleges.
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In 2009, Christie identified himself as anti-abortion, but stated that he would not use the governor's office to "force that down people's throats", while still expressing support for banning "partial-birth abortion", parental notification, and a 24-hour waiting period.
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In 2014, campaigning in Alabama for incumbent governor Robert Bentley, Christie stated that he was the first "pro-life governor" elected in New Jersey since Roe v Wade in 1973.
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Chris Christie stated that he had vetoed funding for Planned Parenthood five times as governor.
66.
In March 2015, Christie joined other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates in endorsing a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
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In 2013, Christie signed a bill to more easily allow the use of medical cannabis by children in New Jersey.
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Chris Christie opposed other efforts to expand the state's medical cannabis program during his governorship, however.
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In 2018, Christie changed his position of the federal enforcement of marijuana laws, stating that while he still personally opposes legalization, he believes the states have the right to legalize it.
70.
In December 2010, Christie commuted the seven-year sentence of Brian Aitken, who had been convicted of transporting three guns within the state; as a result, Aitken was released from prison.
71.
In July 2014, Christie vetoed legislation that would have reduced the allowed legal size of ammunition magazines.
72.
In January 2018, during his final days as Governor of New Jersey, Christie signed legislation making bump stocks illegal in the state.
73.
In 2014, Christie authorized the increase of numerous other fees charged by the state for various licensing and administrative fees.
74.
In 2010, Christie cancelled the Access to the Region's Core project, which would have constructed two new tunnels under the Hudson River and a new terminal station in New York City for NJ Transit commuter trains.
75.
Several of Christie's appointees and aides resigned, and Christie fired others, as investigations into the closures intensified.
76.
On September 18,2014, WNBC reported that unnamed federal sources said the US attorney investigation had found no evidence that Christie had prior knowledge of or directed the closures.
77.
The committee had been unable to determine if Christie had advance knowledge since it was asked by the US attorney to postpone interviewing certain key witnesses.
78.
In 2014, the US Department of Justice opened an inquiry into allegations that Christie made state grants of Hurricane Sandy relief funds to New Jersey cities conditional on support for other projects.
79.
From Israel, Christie continued with his family to Jordan, as guests of King Abdullah II.
80.
In 2015, while campaigning for president, Christie was absent from New Jersey for 261 days.
81.
Amid the January 2016 United States blizzard, Christie stayed only briefly in New Jersey for 36 hours, before heading off to New Hampshire.
82.
The beach was closed to the public as a result of the shutdown, and Christie commuted to the beach from Trenton via state helicopter while his family was staying at the official governor's residence there.
83.
Chris Christie's spokesman said that he didn't "get any sun" because he was wearing a baseball cap at the time of the photo.
84.
When referring to his low poll numbers, Christie said he did not care because he was not running for office.
85.
In November 2013, Christie was elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association, succeeding Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.
86.
In September 2011, a number of press stories cited unnamed sources indicating Christie was reconsidering his decision to stay out of the race.
87.
The New York Post has cited anonymous sources as saying Christie was not willing to give up the governorship to be Romney's running mate because he had doubts about their ability to win.
88.
On October 30,2012, during a press conference to discuss the impact of Hurricane Sandy, Christie praised the disaster relief efforts of President Barack Obama.
89.
In January 2015, Christie took his first formal step towards a presidential candidacy by forming a political action committee in order to raise funds and prepare for a likely 2016 presidential bid.
90.
On June 27,2015, Christie launched his presidential campaign website.
91.
Chris Christie formally announced his candidacy on June 30,2015.
92.
Chris Christie soon emerged as a major power with the Trump campaign.
93.
In September 2016, Christie acknowledged that the Fort Lee lane closure scandal, known as Bridgegate, was a factor in his being denied the nomination.
94.
Trump had said earlier that Christie knew about the closures, which Christie denies.
95.
Former Congressman Mike Rogers, a national security expert on the Trump transition team, was additionally another close associate of Chris Christie who was removed a few days after Christie's departure.
96.
In February 2017 Politico reported that Christie was offered the role of Secretary of Labor but evidently turned it down.
97.
An 18-page report outlining questions and possible concerns about Christie joining the administration was released in June 2019.
98.
Chris Christie visited the White House repeatedly during the four days preceding the debate.
99.
Chris Christie said the prep sessions involved five or six people in total, none of whom wore facial coverings despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
100.
Chris Christie added that he tested negative for the virus each time he entered the White House and saw no-one exhibiting symptoms.
101.
On election night, Christie spoke with one of Trump's sons and later texted Eric Trump asking for proof of their claims of election fraud.
102.
In December 2020, Christie told radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt that he was considering running for president in 2024 even if Trump decided to run.
103.
In October 2022, Christie appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher, where he responded "sure" when asked if he was open to a potential 2024 presidential bid.
104.
On March 16,2023, Christie announced that he would decide if he was running for president within 45 to 60 days.
105.
On May 31,2023, Axios reported that Chris Christie was planning to announce his presidential campaign in the coming days.
106.
Later in the day, Christie met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, praising Ukraine's fight against Russia and reiterating his support for arming Ukraine.
107.
On November 13,2023, Christie became the first presidential candidate to visit Israel following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, where approximately 1,200 people were killed and another 240 were taken hostage.
108.
Chris Christie met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and relatives of the hostages taken by Hamas.
109.
Chris Christie rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
110.
On January 10,2024, Christie dropped out of the presidential race at a scheduled town hall meeting in Windham.
111.
Chris Christie's campaign had focused on winning the New Hampshire primary, hoping for a subsequent national boost.
112.
However, Christie is not expected to endorse another candidate, including Haley, who was expected to win the vote of a majority of Christie supporters.
113.
Chris Christie has criticized Haley for not ruling out being Trump's vice presidential pick and was caught on a hot mic saying that she was "going to get smoked" in the primaries.
114.
Chris Christie said he was encouraged to run, but ultimately refused, believing there was not a viable path for a third party to win the election.
115.
Chris Christie questioned Biden's ability to complete a second term due to his age.
116.
Chris Christie endorsed State Senator Jon Bramnick in the 2025 gubernatorial election.
117.
Chris Christie began teaching a course titled "How to Run a Political Campaign" at the Jackson School of Global Affairs for the Fall 2024 semester at Yale University in September.
118.
In May 2019, Santa Monica, California, tech firm WeRecover announced that Christie had joined their team as Senior Advisor on Strategy and Public Policy.
119.
In January 2018, Christie joined ABC News as a regular network contributor, which he continues to be part.
120.
In May 2020, Christie stated that measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States should be lifted for economic reasons.
121.
In 2018 Christie started a federal lobbying firm called Christie 55 Solutions.
122.
In March 2021, Christie joined the board of directors of the New York Mets front office.
123.
In 1986, Christie married Mary Pat Foster, a fellow student at the University of Delaware.
124.
Mary Pat Christie pursued a career in investment banking and eventually worked at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald; she left the firm in 2001 following the September 11 attacks.
125.
In July 2002, Christie was involved in a traffic accident that injured a motorcyclist on a road in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but was not issued a traffic ticket.
126.
The incident came to light in September 2009 when Christie was running for governor.
127.
Chris Christie is a practicing Catholic and member of St Joseph's Catholic Church.
128.
On October 3,2020, Christie tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to the Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey the same day, citing asthma as an underlying health concern.