Chris Christie grabbed the attention of political observers when he defeated New Jersey incumbent governor Jon Corzine in 2009, vowing to fix a state that had been beset by almost continuous economic and fiscal woes for a decade. Christie’s tough talk about reining in public-sector unions and his efforts to reduce huge deficits without raising taxes won him a certain celebrity in Republican circles. And in his home state, he gained popularity by engineering some overdue, bipartisan reforms such as a cap on annual property taxes. Christie’s early successes sparked speculation that he might run for president in 2012, and though he declined, he has been exploring a run in 2016.
But lately, especially since winning reelection easily in 2013, Christie has watched his reputation tumble both in New Jersey and nationwide. This is partly the result of the political fallout from the so-called Bridgegate scandal, in which members of Christie’s staff ordered lane closures on the approaches to the George Washington Bridge to create traffic jams, and headaches for a political opponent who was the mayor of a town that suffered the congestion. But, in addition, the governor’s efforts at cleaning up the state’s multitude of fiscal messes and recharging its economy have stalled, prompting criticisms that he isn’t doing enough to revive New Jersey.
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