Christie, Chris (1962-…), is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, Christie served as governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Prior to his election as governor, Christie had served as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. Christie’s early record as governor and reputation for “straight talk” helped him rise to prominence in the Republican Party. Following a series of missteps, however, Christie left office deeply unpopular.
Christopher James Christie was born on Sept. 6, 1962, in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised in nearby Livingston. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Delaware in 1984. He received a law degree from the Seton Hall University School of Law in 1987. He then worked as an attorney in private practice.
In 1994, Christie won election to serve as a freeholder in Morris County. Boards of freeholders—later changed to “boards of county commissioners”—form the basis for county government in New Jersey. Christie served as the board’s director in 1997.
In 1995, Christie lost a Republican primary campaign for a seat in the New Jersey General Assembly. In 1998, he registered as a lobbyist (person who works to influence the votes of lawmakers). In 2000, he worked as a legal counsel and fund-raiser for the presidential campaign of George W. Bush. In 2001, President Bush nominated Christie to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. Christie served in the position from 2002 to 2008. He won praise for fighting political and corporate corruption.
In November 2009, Christie won election as governor of New Jersey. He took office in January 2010. As governor, Christie earned a reputation as a moderate who would work with Democratic legislators on key issues. He focused on balancing the state’s budget, cutting taxes, and reforming the state education system. He also worked with members of the General Assembly to establish special courts for nonviolent drug offenders.
In August 2012, Christie was the keynote speaker at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. In October of that year, Christie received praise for his leadership after Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey. In November 2013, Christie decisively won reelection, receiving about 60 percent of the vote.
Christie became the subject of controversy in January 2014, after documents revealed that allies of Christie had ordered the closure of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge for apparently political reasons. The bridge connects Fort Lee, New Jersey, with New York City, and the September 2013 lane closures caused major traffic problems in Fort Lee. News reports indicated that the closures were ordered as political payback for the refusal of Fort Lee’s mayor to endorse Christie’s 2013 reelection bid. Christie denied knowledge of the plot and fired an aide who appeared to have ordered the closures. In November 2016, two of Christie’s top aides were convicted of conspiracy to misuse the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, along with several related charges. The controversy became known as “Bridgegate.” In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Bridgegate convictions. The justices ruled that the actions of Christie’s aides constituted an abuse of power but not a federal crime.
In June 2015, Christie formally began a campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He suspended his campaign in February 2016, however, after disappointing finishes in early nominating contests. Polls indicated that Christie’s focus on seeking the presidency, along with the Bridgegate scandal, damaged his popularity with New Jerseyites. Because of term limits, Christie was unable to seek reelection to a third term in 2017. He left office in January 2018.
In 2019, Christie published a memoir, Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics. Another book of Christie’s, Republican Rescue: Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden, was published in 2021. In June 2023, Christie began a campaign to become the Republican nominee for president of the United States in the 2024 election. However, he dropped out of the race in January 2024 before the first nominating contests.
