New Jersey’s Governor, Chris Christie, has become the latest to jump into the presidential
ring.
The Republican candidate has been expected to run since 2012.
However, his embroilment in a recent bridge-based controversy may have dissuaded potential voters.
So, who exactly is Chris Christie?
Well, besides being a twice elected governor of New Jersey, he has also spent time as a
lawyer and a lobbyist, and campaigned for both Bush presidents.
As governor, he stressed fiscal responsibility, and promised to never raise taxes.
He has largely fulfilled that promise, and delivered a yearly balanced budget.
However, he did so by drastically cutting public worker pension funds.
As a result, New Jersey’s credit rating has been downgraded six times under his governorship.
In 2013 he vetoed a raise in the minimum wage, but that same year New Jersey residents voted
it in anyway.
Christie is fairly lenient on immigration policies, unlike many of his Republican peers.
He has said that undocumented immigration is not a crime but a civil issue, and that
local police should not perform immigration enforcement duties.
Although Christie has outlawed gay-conversion therapy, and said that homosexuality is innate,
he has strongly vetoed legalizing same-sex marriage.
However, in 2012 his veto was overturned as violating New Jersey’s constitution.
Additionally, while Christie supports medical marijuana, he has said that, as president,
he will “crack down” on states legalizing recreational marijuana.
He is also pro-life, but has said he will respect opposing pro-choice views.
In 2013, Christie was accused of shutting down bridge toll lanes out of spite against
a New Jersey Mayor, in a scandal known as “Bridgegate”.
However, despite the resignation and firing of a number of staffers connected to the incident,
a later investigation cleared Christie of any direct involvement.
Christie has been criticized for having little experience before his political career began.
However, it seems as though his stances are not exactly aligned with traditional conservative
views.
Additionally, he has been widely praised for his rapid and bipartisan reaction to Hurricane
Sandy.
Whether his ability to play both sides of the aisle will turn ideological voters off
or swing centrist voters to his side is yet to be seen.
As of Christie’s announcement, there are 14 candidates running for president on the
republican side.
To learn more about the candidates, check out our full playlist here, starting with
Rick Santorum.
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