JOSH: TONIGHT, WMUR
DECIDED TO GET TOGETHER THE
CANDIDATES FOR A CANDIDATE CAFE.
A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN LEAVES
LITTLE TIME TO JUST BE YOURSELF.
WE SAT DOWN WITH THESE
CANDIDATES TO SHARE A MEAL AND
TO TALK ABOUT WHAT MAKES THESE
CANDIDATES TICK ON A PERSONAL
LEVEL.
OVER THE NEXT TUUKKA HOURS, WE
ARE SHARING THOSE CONVERSATIONS
WITH YOU.
FIRST TONIGHT, A MAN WHO HAS
BUILT HIS REPUTATION ON BEING
BLUNT.
IN FACT, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR,
CHRIS CHRISTIE, HAS NEVER BEEN
AFRAID TO SPEAK HIS MIND.
THE REPUBLICAN LEAD DID HIS
FIRST ELECTED POSITION AFTER
SPEAKING OUT AGAINST A CITY
PROJECT IN HIS FAMILY'S
NEIGHBORHOOD.
MR. CHRISTIE: IN THIS CAMPAIGN,
I SAW TO SAY HELLO, EVERYBODY.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
HOW ARE YOU?
JOSH: WHEN YOU SEE CHRIS
CHRISTIE, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT,
HIS WIFE, MARY PAT, IS CLOSE BY.
MR. CHRISTIE: SHE HAS BEEN HERE
WITH ME A LOT AND WE REALLY HAVE
APPROACHED THIS AS A TEAM FROM
THE BEGINNING.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO DO THAT WHEN
YOU HAVE FOUR CHILDREN.
JOSH: THE PAIR HAD BEEN FRIENDS
SINCE THEY WERE TEENS.
WHEN ROMANCE BLOOMED, THINGS
HAPPENED FAST.
MR. CHRISTIE: I DON'T KNOW HOW
EITHER SETS OF OUR PARENTS' HEA
DS DIDN'T EXPLODE.
YOU GOT ENGAGED IN COLLEGE?
MR. CHRISTIE: I WAS ONE YEAR
OLDER, I WAS IN LAW SCHOOL AND
MARY PAT WAS IN HER SECOND TO
LAST YEAR'S -- YEAR IN COLLEGE.
I DIDN'T HAVE A JOB AND I WAS A
LAW CLERK.
I SPOKE WITH HER FATHER AND HER
FATHER HAS SINCE PASSED AWAY,
BUT HE IS AN AMAZING GUY, A
WONDERFUL GUY, REALLY SMART,
REALLY ORGANIZE, AND HE LOOKED
AT ME AND SAID, "AND HOW DO YOU
OPPOSE TO SUPPORT MY DAUGHTER?
"
AND I SAID, "WE WILL WORK IT
OUT."
HE SAID, "THAT DOES NOT SELL MY
A PLAN FOR US."
I WAS A CAR GUY AND I STARTED
PUMPING -- I WAS NOT A CAR GUY
GROWING UP.
AND I WAS THE GUY THAT WOULD
PUMP THE GAS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T
PUMP YOUR OWN GAS IN NEW JERSEY,
SOMEONE HAS TO PUMP IT FOR YOU,
AND THIS GUY CAME OUT WHAT TIME
AND SAID, "PUT $10 OF GAS IN
EACH TANK."
AND I SAID, "OK."
[LAUGHTER]
JOSH: HIS NEXT JOB WAS SELLING
SHOES AND A LOCAL BUSINESS.
MR. CHRISTIE: IT WAS A
FAMILY-OWNED STORE.
THE MOTHER, WHEN I CAME, SHE
KNOWS THAT I AM THE NEW GUY, AND
SO SHE SAYS YOUR JOB EVERY DAY
IS TO WATER THIS PLANT OVER
HERE.
SHE SAID YOU CAN DO OTHER THINGS
FOR THE REST OF YOUR JOB, BUT
DON'T FORGET TO WATER THIS
PLANT.
I DID THIS FOR, LIKE, 10 DAYS OF
WORK.
BY THE EIGHTH OR THE NINTH DAY,
GUYS WERE LAUGHING AT ME.
I WAS LIKE, "WHY ARE YOU
LAUGHING?"
THEY SAID, "WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU
ARE THE NEW GUY, AND YOU HAVE TO
WATER THE PLANTS."
IT WAS AN ARTIFICIAL PLANT.
[LAUGHTER]
MR. CHRISTIE: AND THEY WANTED TO
SEE HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE ME TO
UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS AN
ARTIFICIAL PLANT.
JOSH: LIKE MOST THINGS IN HIS
LIFE, CHRISTIE FIGURED IT OUT.
THAT HIS FORAY INTO POLITICS
STARTED AT AGE 30 WHEN THE NEW
JERSEY'S VERSION OF A COUNTY
COMMISSION PLANNED TO WIDEN THE
ROAD RUNNING THROUGH HIS
NEIGHBORHOOD.
MR. CHRISTIE: I WAS ANGRY AND I
THINK IT SHOWED.
A LOT OF FOLKS SAID, YEAH, LET'S
CHOOSE THEM, THE YOUNG KID WITH
A BIG MOUTH.
LET ME TELL YOU, I GOT ON THERE.
IT WAS OVER PRETTY QUICKLY.
THAT ROAD HAS NEVER BEEN WIDENED
SINCE THEN.
THAT WAS 1994.
JOSH: CHRISTIE SAYS THE DOMINANT
INFLUENCE IN HIS LIFE WAS HIS
LATE MOTHER.
MR. CHRISTIE: SHE WAS NOT EASY
-- SHE WAS NOT SOMEONE WHO IT
WAS EASY FOR HER TO EXPRESS HER
EMOTIONS.
WHEN I WAS SIGNED IN AS U.S.
ATTORNEY IN 2002, MY MOM WROTE
ME A LETTER.
THAT IS THE ONLY LETTER THAT MY
MOM EVER WROTE ME.
AND SHE WROTE ME A LETTER AND
SHE STARTED OFF THE LETTER BY
SAYING, "YOU KNOW, IT FRUSTRATES
YOUR MOTHER THAT SHE CAN'T
EXPRESS HER FEELINGS TO YOU AS
FREELY AS SHE WOULD LIKE, BUT
SHE SAID, THIS IS AN OLD STORY
ANYWAY, AND THIS LETTER IS NOT
ABOUT ME, IT IS ABOUT YOU."
AND SHE WROTE ABOUT HOW PROUD
SHE WAS OF ME AND WHAT AN
AMAZING MOMENT IT WAS FOR HER TO
SEE HER SON, YOU KNOW, BE GIVEN
THIS INCREDIBLE PRIVILEGE BY THE
PRESIDENT.
THIS IS RIGHT AFTER 9/11, TO
SERVE THE COUNTRY IN THIS WAY.
AND SHE ENDED THE LETTER BY
SAYING, "EVEN THOUGH I DON'T GET
TO SAY THIS AS MUCH AS I WOULD
LIKE TO, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I
COULD NEVER HAVE ASKED FOR A
BETTER SON AND I COULDN'T BE
FILLED WITH MORE PRIDE."
YOU KNOW, I KEEP THAT LETTER, IT
IS IN THE TOP DRAWER OF MY
DRESSER.
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I PULL IT
OUT FOR TWO REASONS, ONE IS TO
READ IT AGAIN AND TO FEEL HER,
BUT SECONDLY, THERE IS SOMETHING
COMFORTING ABOUT SEEING HER
HANDWRITING.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE MISSED
NOWADAYS WITH E-MAIL AND TEXT
MESSAGING.
WHEN I SEE THE HANDWRITING, IT
REALLY MAKES ME FEEL HER.
I REMEMBER THE NOTES SHE WOULD
WRITE TO SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, CHRIS
IS LATE TODAY BECAUSE HE IS AN
IDIOT, HE OVERSLEPT.
OR THE BIRTHDAY CARDS OR
WHATEVER.
THAT'S MOM.
I SAW THE HANDWRITING AND
IMMEDIATELY A THOUGHT, THAT'S MY
MOTHER.
JOSH: IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE
CHRISTIES TO KEEP THEIR OWN KIDS
GROUNDED IN A LIFE THAT HAS
BECOME VERY PUBLIC.
CHRISTIE POINTS TO THE NIGHT
THEY HE PULLED AN UPSET WIN IN
THE RACE FOR NEW JERSEY
GOVERNOR.
MR. CHRISTIE: WE WERE AT A
RECEPTION AND THERE WAS AN OPEN
BAR.
PEOPLE WERE DRUNK AND THEY WERE
HAPPY AND THEY HAD NO ONE -- HAD
NOT WON ANYTHING IN 12 YEARS.
IT'S A YOU COULD FEEL THE CROWD.
I SAID, I'VE GOT TO TALK TO
EVERYBODY.
AND I SAID TO THE KIDS, AND I
SAID, WE ALL HAVE TO GET IN THE
HUDDLE.
AND THE SIX OF US GOT TOGETHER
AND I SAID, WE ARE GOING TO WALK
OUT ON STAGE AND WHEN WE DO,
AIR-LIFTED IS GOING TO CHANGE.
IT IS ALL TEMPORARY AND THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST IMPORTANT IN
YOUR LIFE ALWAYS AT THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE IN THIS CIRCLE.
DON'T FORGET THAT.
YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE A LOT OF
FRIENDS, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT
PEOPLE ARE IN THIS CIRCLE.
OUR KIDS HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT
A NUMBER OF TIMES WHEN HAVE
GOTTEN INTERVIEWED BY PEOPLE.
THAT MOMENT HAD A BIG IMPACT ON
THEM AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO
REMIND YOURSELF OF THAT ALL THE
TIME, -- AND I THINK WE HAVE TO
REMIND OURSELVES OF THA TALL THE
-- THAT ALL THE TIME, THAT THIS
IS TEMPORARY.
I SAID, REMEMBER, IN DAD'S