71 Facts About Chris Christie

Chris Christie was re-elected by a wide margin in 2013, defeating State Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono.

Chris Christie's mother was of Italian ancestry, and his father is of German, Scottish, and Irish descent.

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.

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.

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 J D in 1987.

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.

Chris Christie was awarded honorary doctorate degrees by Rutgers University and Monmouth University in 2010.

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.

From 1999 to 2001, Christie was registered statehouse lobbyist for Dughi and Hewit.

In 1993, Christie launched a primary challenge against the New Jersey Senate Majority Leader, John H Dorsey.

In 1994, Christie was elected as a Republican to the Board of County Commissioners, or legislators, for Morris County, New Jersey, after he and a running mate defeated incumbents in the party primary.

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.

Chris Christie led a successful effort to bar county officials from accepting gifts from people and firms doing business with the county.

Chris Christie voted to raise the county's open space tax for land preservation; however, county taxes, on the whole, were decreased by 6.

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.

In 1995, Christie announced a bid for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly; he and attorney Rick Merkt ran as a ticket against incumbent Assemblyman Anthony Bucco and attorney Michael Patrick Carroll in the Republican primary.

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.

Chris Christie's office included 137 attorneys, with offices in Newark, Trenton, and Camden.

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.

In 2007, Christie prosecuted the planners of the averted 2007 Fort Dix attack plot, which he has frequently mentioned as a career highlight.

Chris Christie then chose Kimberly Guadagno, Monmouth County sheriff, to complete his campaign ticket as a candidate for lieutenant governor.

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.

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.

Chris Christie vowed to lower the state income and business taxes, with the qualification that this might not occur immediately.

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In February 2010, Christie signed an executive order declaring a "state of fiscal emergency" due to the projected $2.

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.

On five separate occasions, Christie vetoed legislation pushed by Democrats to implement a millionaire tax.

In March 2010, Christie signed into law three state pension reform bills, which had passed with bipartisan support.

In June 2011, Christie announced a deal with the Democratic leadership of the legislature on a reform of public employee pensions and benefits.

In May 2014, Christie cut the contributions to New Jersey public workers' pension funds for a 14-month period by nearly $2.

State commissioner of education Chris Christie Cerf defended policies declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of New Jersey, which contradicting basic education research.

In September 2014, Christie signed a partnership with Mexico on a higher-education project to foster economic cooperation.

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.

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.

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.

In January 2013, Christie vetoed a New Jersey Legislature bill that would have raised the minimum wage from $7.

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.

Early in his political career, Christie stated in an interview that "I would call myself … a kind of a non-thinking pro-choice person, kind of the default position".

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.

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.

Chris Christie stated that he had vetoed funding for Planned Parenthood five times as governor.

In March 2015, Christie joined other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates in endorsing a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

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.

In July 2014, Christie vetoed legislation that would have reduced the allowed legal size of ammunition magazines.

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In January 2018, during his final days as Governor of New Jersey, Christie signed legislation making bump stocks illegal in the state.

In 2014, Christie authorized the increase of numerous other fees charged by the state for various licensing and administrative fees.

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.

In 2014, the U S 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.

From Israel, Christie continued with his family to Jordan, as guests of King Abdullah II.

Several of Christie's appointees and aides resigned, and Christie fired others, as investigations into the closures intensified.

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.

The beach which 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.

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.

In November 2013, Christie was elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association, succeeding Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

In September 2011, a number of press stories cited unnamed sources indicating Christie was reconsidering his decision to stay out of the race.

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.

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.

Chris Christie soon emerged as a major power with the Trump campaign.

In September 2016, Christie acknowledged that the Fort Lee lane closure scandal, known as Bridgegate, was a factor in his being denied the nomination.

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.

An 18-page report outlining questions and possible concerns about Christie joining the administration was released in June 2019.

Chris Christie visited the White House repeatedly during the four days preceding the debate.

Chris Christie said the prep sessions involved five or six people in total, none of whom wore facial coverings despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Chris Christie added that he tested negative for the virus each time he entered the White House and saw no-one exhibiting symptoms.

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In May 2019, Santa Monica, California, tech firm WeRecover announced that Christie had joined their team as Senior Advisor on Strategy and Public Policy.

In May 2020, Christie stated that measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States should be lifted for economic reasons.

In March 2021, Christie joined the board of directors of the New York Mets front office.

In 1986, Christie married Mary Pat Foster, a fellow student at the University of Delaware.

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.

Chris Christie is a practicing Catholic and member of St Joseph's Catholic Church.