Chris Christie Fast Facts

Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump
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(CNN) -- 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 U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Christie prosecuted over 130 public officials for corruption.

Is a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and claims to have been to over 100 of his 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 - U.S. 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.

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.

February 6, 2013 - In response to a former White House physician"s comments in a CNN interview the day before that Christie"s weight may cause him to die in office, Christie describes Dr. Connie Mariano as "just another hack who wants five minutes on TV."

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. A source close to the governor tells CNN that Christie had the procedure on February 16.

November 5, 2013 - Wins re-election.

November 21, 2013 - Becomes 2014 Chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

January 8, 2014 - E-mails emerge from top aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 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.

March 27, 2014 - A law firm retained by the governor"s office releases a report on the bridge scandal, exonerating Christie.

June 30, 2015 - Formally announces he is running for the Republican presidential nomination during a speech in Livingston, New Jersey.

February 2, 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.

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Source: http://www.kitv.com/story/31330063/chris-christie-fast-facts

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Group Backing Chris Christie Criticizes John Kasich for Lehman Brother Ties

Chris Christie: #TellingItLikeItIs Town Hall in Dubuque, IA
10:03 pm ET10:03 pm ETNick Corasaniti and Alexander Burns

Donald J. Trump has criticized Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio at numerous debates, including for his tenure as a managing general partner at a bank that was central to the financial crisis.

Now, America Leads, the super PAC supporting Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is putting some money behind Mr. Trumps accusations in a withering attack ad aimed at Mr. Kasich.

It begins with Mr. Kasich saying I was a banker and I was proud of it, before cutting to Mr. Trumps criticism, and rifling through Mr. Kasichs record as both a congressman and a businessman, accusing him of profiting off the financial crisis while a partner at Lehman Brothers.

The negative ad comes as Mr. Kasich and Mr. Christie, both far behind Mr. Trump, are locked in a tight battle for fourth place and a strong showing in New Hampshire, and are pursuing a similar subset of voters.

But Mr. Christie and Mr. Kasich do not typically go after each other on the stump. On the contrary, Mr. Christie has trained his fire mainly on Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, and said last week in a radio interview that he considered Mr. Kasich a very good governor. (He added that he viewed himself as a better one.)

Mr. Kasich, meanwhile, has refrained from attacking any of his opponents in his campaign events, though a super PAC supporting his campaign has done so with paid advertising.

But if Mr. Christie has held back against Mr. Kasich, the outside group supporting Mr. Christies candidacy has increasingly shifted into attack mode. Even before the anti-Kasich ads began running, America Leads was sending mail to New Hampshire voters branding Mr. Kasich as a tax hiker.

No amount of New Jersey bullying and false attacks by Chris Christies cronies will hide Christies own failures of credit downgrades and budget deficits, said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesperson for the Kasich campaign. As a result over 60 percent of the voters that know Christie best dont approve of him. In ohio John kasich turned an $8 billion budget hole into a $2 billion surplus, saw Ohios credit outlook improve, and cut a record amount of taxes. As a result over 60 percent of voters approve of him in the most important of all swing states.

The Lehman Brothers attack may be a particularly raw one for Mr. Kasich. Democrats used his affiliation with the failed bank to brand him, during his campaign for governor in 2010, as a congressman from Wall Street.

Mr. Kasich has attempted to minimize his Lehman connection, joking about his tenure at the bank in campaign speeches. (He did not repeat the joke in a handful of campaign events a reporter attended over the weekend.)

Tucker Martin, a spokesperson for America Leads, said the ad was in response to an escalation in attacks from the Kasich team.

The Kasich team has spent well over a month attacking Governor Christie, he said. All were doing is noting a vote Governor Kasich took, and a job he held. Its simply another part of his bio and his record, presented to voters for their consideration.

New Day for America, the super PAC supporting Mr. Kasich, aired an ad last year pointing to deficits in New Jersey, but never mentioning Mr. Christie by name.

Governor Christie should either disavow the ad or have he courage to repeat Trumps attack himself, said Matt David, a spokesperson for the group.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/31/group-backing-chris-christie-criticizes-john-kasich-for-lehman-brother-ties/

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NJ Gov. Chris Christie Is the First Fan of Dallas

Chris Christie loves the Dallas Cowboys. Not only is he not ashamed of it, he wants you to know it.

Tossing any risks of political offense aside, the potential Republican candidate for president doesn't bother to cheer for any of the teams that would make more sense for the governor of New Jersey.

No, he's an over-the-top, awkward-hugging, lucky-sweater-wearing and sports-talk-show-calling fan of the self-proclaimed "America's Team." And he might just be scoring political points by sticking with his 'Boys rather than sailing fairer winds by pretending to care about the New York Giants or the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I think, if anything, it shows he's authentic ? him standing by his team," said Matt Moore, the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, who acknowledged owning a Cowboys jersey and helmet as a kid.

"True sports fans know what it's like to stand on couches and shout at the TV. We all get caught up in the moment," Moore said. "I don't know if it's anything more than being a super fan, but Gov. Christie's love of the Cowboys is definitely smart politics."

Christie's fanboy ways were again on display Sunday, when he was spotted gleefully celebrating the team's comeback win against the Detroit Lions in the NFL playoffs. He was hard to miss in owner Jerry Jones' box, wearing his sure-to-be-noticed orange good luck sweater, bouncing around and looking for a hug after the Cowboys' 24-20 wild-card victory.

It wasn't the first time Christie has shown up in Jones' box, nor the first time his display of affection for the team and its owner has drawn withering fire on social media and among radio talkers. Christie's high-five of Jones after the Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles last month was seen by some in South Jersey and elsewhere as rubbing it in.

There's also the question of where Christie chooses to sit ? namely, with Jones, the billionaire owner of the Cowboys, who supplied the governor with transportation via private jet and a ticket to the game in his suite. It's the third time Christie has seen the game on Jones' tab, according to a Christie spokesman.

That left The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol to predict that when Dallas travels to Green Bay for their next playoff game, against the Packers on Sunday, he'd miss Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is sure to sit in "the cheap seats & freeze with the common people" at Lambeau Field.

But the guy who fell in love with the Cowboys watching Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach does not care about your taunts.

His team, after all, is winning.

"I call it as I see it," Christie declared in mid-December on a South Jersey sports-talk station. "And I'm not going to be one of these politicians who changes their sports team loyalties just to score political points."

He added Monday morning: "Just because I'm governor of New Jersey doesn't mean that I change who I root for. That's it."

Didn't his antics risk votes in Michigan, home of the Lions and a state he'll likely need to carry to win the White House, should he win his party's nomination?

Perhaps, but Christie appears to be doubling down on his straight-talker image, making a calculated play that embracing his love of his team is a better way to win over votes than pandering to fans at home.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/nj-gov-chris-christie-fan-dallas-28021551

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10 pictures of Chris Christie at Dallas Cowboys games (PHOTOS)

By now, it's no secret that Gov. Chris Christie's football heart bleeds Dallas Cowboys' silver and blue, instead of the more defensible Jets' green or Giants blue.

Unfortunately, that hasn't stopped fans of those teams from voicing their displeasure, nor has it quelled the criticism from Christie's fellow politicians. To these people, it's one thing for Christie to root for the Cowboys in the privacy of his living room, but bro-hugging with Jerry Jones in his owner's box? That's borderline trolling.

But despite Christie's occasionally antagonistic behavior towards fans of the Cowboys' NFC East rival Eagles and Giants (and vice versa), at least he wears his fandom on his sleeve and doesn't pander to his constituents by pretending to root for the home team. Well, at least most of the time.

Check out some photos of Christie attending Cowboys games.

10 pictures of Gov. Chris Christie at Dallas Cowboys games

Source: http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2015/01/10_pictures_of_chris_christie_at_dallas_cowboys_games_photos.html

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