Christie took office as
Governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010. He chose not to move his family into
Drumthwacket, the governor's official mansion, and instead resided in a private
Mendham Township, New Jersey, residence.
Fiscal issues While campaigning for governor, Christie promised not to raise taxes. He also vowed to lower the state income and business taxes, with the qualification that this might not occur immediately. As governor, Christie claims his annual budgets did not increase taxes, though he made reductions to
tax credits such as the
earned income tax credit and
property tax relief programs; he would also sign legislation limiting property tax growth to 2% annually. Under Christie, there were no rate increases in the state's top three revenue generators:
income tax,
sales tax, and
corporate tax. Following the order, Christie proposed a new budget which eliminated the
New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate, which had an upkeep of $1.3 million. In late June 2011, Christie utilized New Jersey's
line-item veto to eliminate nearly $1 billion from the proposed budget, signing it into law just hours prior to July 1, 2011, the beginning of the state's fiscal year. That same year, Christie signed into law a
payroll tax cut authorizing the
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to reduce payroll deduction for most employees from $148 to $61 per year. On five separate occasions, Christie vetoed legislation pushed by Democrats to implement a
millionaire tax. After Democrat
Phil Murphy became governor, Democrats backed off the legislation, with
New Jersey Senate President
Stephen Sweeney stating, "[t]his state is taxed out. If you know anything about New Jersey, they're just weary of the taxes." During Christie's tenure, New Jersey's credit rating was downgraded nine times (across
Standard & Poor,
Fitch Ratings, and
Moody's Investors Service), leaving only Illinois with a lower rating among U.S. states. Christie received a B grade in 2012 and in 2014 from the
Cato Institute, a
libertarian think tank, in their biennial fiscal policy report on America's governors.
Tax credits and incentives On September 18, 2013, Christie signed legislation to overhaul the state's business tax incentive programs. The legislation reduced the number of tax incentive programs from five to two, raised the caps on tax credits, and allowed smaller companies to qualify. It also increased the credits available for businesses in
South Jersey.
Public employee pensions In March 2010, Christie signed into law three state pension reform bills, which had passed with bipartisan support. The laws decreased pension benefits for future hires and required public employees to contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries toward their health care. The laws prompted a lawsuit by the police and firefighters' unions. In his campaign for governor, Christie opposed any change in pension benefits for firefighters and law enforcement officers, including "current officers, future officers or retirees". He described the pension agreement as "a sacred trust". Later that year, he called for further cuts, including the elimination of cost-of-living adjustments for all current and future retirees. In June 2011, Christie announced a deal with the Democratic leadership of the legislature on a reform of public employee pensions and benefits. The deal raised public employees' pension contributions, mandated the state to make annual payments into the system, increased public employee contributions toward health insurance premiums, and ended collective bargaining for health benefits. The reform is projected to save the state $120 billion over 30 years. In June 2013, Christie signed a $33 billion state budget that made a record $1.7 billion payment to the state's pension fund and also increased school funding by almost $100 million. The budget resulted from negotiations between Christie and Democratic leaders in the state legislature and was the first that Christie had signed as passed without vetoing any of its provisions. In May 2014, Christie cut the contributions to New Jersey public workers' pension funds for a 14-month period by nearly $2.5 billion to deal with a revenue shortfall in the state budget of $2.75 billion. The state would instead make a $1.3 billion payment during the period. Christie cited the state constitution's requirement to have a balanced budget for his decision to cut payments to pensions for state workers, and followed his changes to the state's pension formula earlier in 2014 to save $900 million through the end of his term.
Legalization of online gambling In February 2013,
online gambling was legalized in New Jersey after the state's Legislature passed Bill A2578, which was later signed into law by Christie. Christie was instrumental in the legalization of online gambling in the state, citing the need for increased state revenue in the years after the 2008 recession. After vetoing previous versions of the bill, Christie signed the latest version into law after ensuring the regulatory framework was in place to safeguard players and create a responsible gambling environment. Christie was also vocal about the offshore gambling market, claiming that states lost billions in tax revenues to
offshore, unregulated, and untaxed operators. In October 2014, Christie signed a bill to legalize
sports betting in New Jersey.
Education One of Christie's most controversial school policies was to increase the state's control of school districts. The districts contained relatively high numbers of underachieving students, people of color, poor people, and members of the Democratic Party. In Newark, Christie hired Chris Cerf to replace Cami Anderson as the state-appointed superintendent of its school district. Under Christie, Cerf overruled the district's locally elected school board. Recent research indicated that the reforms implemented by Christie, Anderson, and Cerf did not improve educational outcomes. Christie has been accused of under-funding school districts. Reports indicated that Christie's administration did not adhere to the School Funding Reform Act, and illegally withheld funds from districts throughout the state. His 2017 school funding proposal was described by education researchers as "one of the least equitable in the country". State commissioner of education Chris Cerf defended policies declared unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court of New Jersey. Christie, whose children attend
Catholic school, supports the state giving
tax credits to parents who send their children to
private and
parochial schools. He also supports
school vouchers, which parents of students in failing school districts could use for tuition in private schools or for public schools in communities outside their own. Christie supports
merit pay for teachers. On August 25, 2010, the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that $400 million in federal
Race to the Top education grants to New Jersey would not be issued due to a clerical error in the state's application by an unidentified mid-level state official. Christie said that the
Obama administration had overstepped its authority, and the error was in the administration's failure to communicate with the New Jersey government. It was later learned that the issue had been raised with
Bret Schundler, Christie's education commissioner. Christie asked for Schundler's resignation; Schundler initially agreed to resign, but asked to be fired the following morning to claim unemployment benefits. According to Schundler, he told Christie the truth and Christie misstated what actually occurred. The Christie administration approved 23 new
charter schools in January 2011, including New Jersey's first independent school for children with autism. The approvals increased the state's number of charter schools to 96. On August 6, 2012, Christie signed a law reforming the
tenure system for New Jersey public-school teachers. Under the law, teachers would be required to work four years (instead of three) to earn tenure; they would also need to receive positive ratings for two consecutive years. Tenured teachers with poor ratings for two consecutive years would be eligible for dismissal, with the hearing process for appeals related to dismissal of tenured teachers limited to 105 days. On March 6, 2013, the Christie administration released proposed regulations to overhaul the process of evaluating public-school teachers. Under the proposal, a percentage of teacher evaluations would be based on student improvement in state tests or student achievement goals set by principals. In September 2014, Christie signed a partnership with Mexico on a higher-education project to foster economic cooperation. The program would focus on research ventures, cross-border fellowships, student and teacher exchanges, conferences, and other educational opportunities.
Energy and environment Christie has stated that he believes that the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is too big and is "killing business" with permit delays and indiscriminate fines. He announced that, if elected, the agency would be his first target for government reduction: he would reduce its workforce and strip it of its fish and wildlife oversight. Christie has stated that he intends to simultaneously spur growth in the state's manufacturing sector and increase New Jersey's capability to produce
alternative energy. He has proposed a list of policy measures to achieve this, including giving tax credits to businesses that build new
wind energy and manufacturing facilities, changing land use rules to allow solar energy on
permanently preserved farmland, installing
solar farms on closed landfills, setting up a consolidated energy promotion program, and following a five-to-one production to non-production job ratio in the creation of new energy jobs. In August 2010, legislation to encourage the development of
wind power in New Jersey was signed by Christie at the
Port of Paulsboro. The
Offshore Wind Economic Development Act authorized
New Jersey Economic Development Authority to provide up to $100 million in tax credits for wind energy facilities. The governor has pledged to ban coal-fired power plants, and to reach 22.5% renewable generation in the state by 2021. On May 26, 2011, Christie announced he would pull the state out of
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. This was challenged in court which ruled in March 2014 that Christie had acted illegally in doing so since state regulations do not permit it. His administration sought to repeal the rules.
Hydraulic fracturing Christie has rejected permanent bans on
hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in New Jersey and vetoed measures that would ban the process and disposal of hydraulic fracturing waste in the State. New Jersey has few proven shale reserves and the process is not practiced there. Christie argued that the vetoed Senate Bill (S253) was premature because of an ongoing study to be completed in 2014 and would discriminate against other states, a violation of the
Dormant Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Supporters of legislation have said that
hydraulic fracturing waste from Pennsylvania makes its way into New Jersey for treatment, although how much is not clear. They also criticized Christie's legal analysis saying that the Office of Legislative Services has said that the bill is constitutional. The settlement was criticized by environmental advocates.
David Pringle, state campaign director of
Clean Water Action, called it "the biggest corporate subsidy in state history", vowing to overturn it.
Jeff Tittel of the
Sierra Club said the settlement was "a violation of the public trust." ExxonMobil had donated $500,000 to the Republican Governors Association while Christie was chairman, though they have insisted it was unrelated to the ongoing suit. The previous gubernatorial administration, that of Democrat Jon Corzine, had also attempted to settle with Exxon, for $550 million, though this offer was made before a 2009 ruling that strengthened the state's bargaining position.
Farm animal welfare In June 2013, Christie vetoed S1921, an animal welfare bill introduced by the
Humane Society of the United States to prohibit the use of
gestation crates on pregnant pigs in the state. The bill had passed in the
General Assembly with a vote of 60–5 and the
Senate 29–4. A 2013 survey by
Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. showed 91% of New Jersey voters supported the legislation. An attempt to override the veto did not come to a vote. In October 2014, a similar bill banning gestation crates, S998, was proposed with a vote in the Senate of 32–1 and in the Assembly of 53–13 (with 9 abstentions). While campaigning in Iowa in November, in a conversation with the former president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Christie indicated he would veto the bill. He did so on November 27, 2014. The bill's sponsor, Senator
Raymond Lesniak, had vowed to override it.
New Jersey Supreme Court nominations By tradition since the 1947
state constitution, the seven-member
New Jersey Supreme Court maintains a political balance and is composed of four members of either the Democratic Party or Republican Party and three of the other. Christie broke with the tradition in May 2010 when he chose not to renominate Justice
John E. Wallace Jr. While on the campaign trail, Christie had said the court "inappropriately encroached on both the executive and legislative function, and that if elected governor, [he] would take steps . . . to bring back an appropriate constitutional balance to the court." Over the course of his tenure, Christie had been in a major conflict with the
New Jersey Legislature over the court's partisan balance. The stand-off between the governor and the
New Jersey Senate resulted in longstanding vacancies, with temporarily assigned appellate judges filling in.
Minimum wage and equal pay for women In January 2013, Christie vetoed a
New Jersey Legislature bill that would have raised the
minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour. The following November, the issue was placed on the ballot as a constitutional amendment referendum, passing with 61% of the vote. On September 21, 2012, Christie signed Assembly Bill No. 2647 (A-2647) into law that requires employers to post and distribute notice of employees' rights to gender-equal pay, but conditionally vetoed other gender parity bills, requesting revision.
Immigration Christie emphasizes the need to secure the border, and believes it is premature to discuss legalization of people who came to the United States unlawfully. While serving as
U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, Christie stressed that simply "[b]eing in this country without proper documentation is not a crime," but rather a civil wrong; and that undocumented people are not criminals unless they have re-entered the country after being deported. As such, Christie stated, responsibility for dealing with improperly documented foreign nationals lies with
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, not the U.S. Attorney's Office. Christie has been critical about
section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, enacted in 1996, which can be used to grant local law enforcement officers power to perform immigration law enforcement functions.
In state tuition for undocumented immigrants In December 2013, Christie signed legislation allowing unauthorized immigrants who attend high school for at least three years in New Jersey and graduate to be eligible for the resident rates at state college and universities and community colleges.
Social issues Abortion Early in his political career, Christie stated in an interview that "I would call myself … a kind of a non-thinking pro-choice person, kind of the default position". In 2009, Christie identified himself as
anti-abortion, but stated that he would not use the governor's office to "force that down people's throats", while still expressing support for banning "
partial-birth abortion",
parental notification, and a 24-hour waiting period. In 2014, campaigning in
Alabama for incumbent governor
Robert Bentley, Christie stated that he was the first "pro-life governor" elected in New Jersey since
Roe v. Wade in 1973. He also stated that he had vetoed funding for
Planned Parenthood five times as governor. Christie stated in 2023 that he believed that abortion should be a state-by-state issue, and that he would oppose a federal ban on abortion.
Child marriage In 2017, Christie conditionally vetoed a proposed bill that would have made New Jersey the first state in the Union to completely ban
child marriages, arguing that "the severe bar this bill creates is not necessary to address the concerns voiced by the bill's proponents and does not comport with the sensibilities and, in some cases, the religious customs, of the people of this state." Instead, he suggested a complete ban on marriage for everyone under the age of 16 and judicial approval for those aged 16 and 17. After Christie left office in 2018, New Jersey became the second state in the Union to prohibit marriage for everyone under the age of majority (after Delaware), when the new governor,
Phil Murphy, signed the bill into law.
LGBT rights As governor, Christie opposed
same-sex marriage but voiced support for New Jersey's
civil union law, which extended to gay couples the same legal benefits of marriage with regard to state law. Christie indicated in 2009 that he would veto any bill legalizing
same-sex marriage in the state, The issue was rendered moot shortly thereafter by a
state court decision, in which the judge stated New Jersey was "... violating the mandate of
Lewis v. Harris and the New Jersey Constitution's equal protection guarantee". The Christie administration responded by asking the state supreme court to grant a
stay of the decision pending appeal, which was denied on October 18, 2013, in a 7–0 decision of the court which stated that it could "find no public interest in depriving a group of New Jersey residents of their constitutional right to equal protection while the appeals process unfolds". Three days later Christie withdrew the state's appeal. Christie believes that homosexuality is innate, having said, "If someone is born that way, it's very difficult to say then that that's a sin." On August 19, 2013, Christie signed a bill outlawing
gay conversion therapy for children, making New Jersey the second state to institute such a law. The law was challenged in the courts, with Christie, in his official capacity as governor, named an appellee. In September 2014, a panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law, saying it did not violate free speech or religious rights. After announcing his candidacy for the
2024 Republican presidential primaries, Christie's campaign said that the former governor currently "respects same-sex marriage and considers it legally settled." During his 2024 campaign, Christie stated in a
CNN interview that he opposes
Republican-proposed bans on
gender affirming care for minors, stating, "Folks who are under the age of 18 should have parental support and guidance and love as they make all of the key decisions of their life, and this should not be one that's excluded by the government in any way." During a
Fox News interview, Christie stood by his position and criticized Arkansas's ban in particular, saying, "It's more of a parent's decision than a governor's decision for goodness sakes ... You really think that [Arkansas governor]
Sarah Huckabee Sanders should be making this decision for children in Arkansas?"
Marijuana legalization Christie opposes
legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, believing it to be a "
gateway drug" and that tax revenue from the sale of it is "blood money". Christie said that if elected president he would "crack down" and enforce federal law in states that have legalized cannabis. In 2013, Christie signed a bill to more easily allow the use of
medical cannabis by children in New Jersey. He opposed other efforts to expand the state's medical cannabis program during his governorship, however. In 2018, Christie changed his position of the federal enforcement of marijuana laws, stating that while he still personally opposes legalization, he believes the states have the right to legalize it.
Vaccination Christie responded to calls by President
Barack Obama to prevent the spread of measles by saying that parents should have a choice. The governor's office said that he "believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated", but that he was unaware of a free national program to provide new parents with a vaccine checklist.
Gun control In December 2010, Christie commuted the seven-year sentence of
Brian Aitken, who had been convicted of transporting three guns within the state; as a result, Aitken was released from prison. Christie has said that each state has the right to determine firearms laws without federal interference. When announcing his candidacy in 2009 he said he supported aggressive enforcement of the
state's current gun laws. In July 2014, Christie vetoed legislation that would have reduced the allowed legal size of
ammunition magazines. Instead he re-wrote it, proposing a new standard for
involuntary commitment of people who are not necessarily deemed dangerous "but whose mental illness, if untreated, could deteriorate to the point of harm" as well as other forms of involuntary mental health treatments. Christie had previously vetoed proposed legislation that would bar the state pension fund from investing in companies that manufacture or sell assault firearms for civilian use and a bill to prohibit the sale of .50-caliber rifles to civilians. In July 2015, Christie vetoed a bill passed by the Assembly, 74–0 (six abstentions), and the Senate by a 38–0 (two abstentions) which would require anyone seeking to have their mental health records expunged to purchase a firearm to notify the State Police, their county prosecutor and their local police department when petitioning the court. In October 2015, the New Jersey Senate voted to override Christie's veto. In January 2018, during his final days as Governor of New Jersey, Christie signed legislation making
bump stocks illegal in the state.
Transportation Christie has raised tolls and fares ("user fees") on the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Hudson River crossings and NJ Transit buses and trains during his administration to fund projects throughout the state. In 2014, Christie authorized the increase of numerous other fees charged by the state for various licensing and administrative fees. In 2010, Christie cancelled the
Access to the Region's Core project, which would have constructed two new tunnels under the Hudson River and a new terminal station in New York City for NJ Transit commuter trains.
Christopher O. Ward advocated for the tunnel on behalf of the Port Authority. Christie cited escalating costs and possible further overruns as the reason for his decision. Proponents of the project said it would have created 6,000 construction jobs per year and 45,000 secondary jobs once complete. After the cancellation, New Jersey had to return $95 million to the federal government, and used $1.8 billion of
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey money from the project budget to pay for repairs to the
Pulaski Skyway, since the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund that should fund such maintenance was effectively bankrupt. The termination of the project made the need for increased rail capacity under the Hudson River more urgent, and shortly thereafter, in 2011,
Amtrak's
Gateway Project was unveiled, which began construction in 2023.
Fort Lee lane closure over the Hudson River, looking west from
Manhattan to
Fort Lee and the
Palisades From September 9 through September 13, 2013, two of the three traffic lanes in
Fort Lee normally open to access the
George Washington Bridge and New York City were closed on orders from a senior Christie aide and a Christie administration appointee. The lane closures in the morning
rush hour resulted in massive traffic back-ups on the
local streets for five days. One common theory as to why the lanes were closed is that it was political retribution against Democratic Fort Lee mayor
Mark Sokolich for not supporting Christie in the
2013 gubernatorial election. Another possible motive involves a major real estate development project, which was a top priority for Sokolich, that was under way at the Fort Lee bridge access point. Several of Christie's appointees and aides resigned, and Christie fired others, as investigations into the closures intensified. In a radio interview on February 3, 2014, Christie indicated that he "unequivocally" had no knowledge of, did not approve, and did not authorize plans to close the toll lanes, and stated that he first found out about the traffic jams from a story in
The Wall Street Journal after the lanes had been reopened. In an interview on ABC, Christie reiterated that he was shocked by the actions of his former aides, stating that "Sometimes, people do inexplicably stupid things." In the midst of the scandal, Christie's approval ratings declined. He maintained 50–53 percent approval for five months after the scandal, before his ratings fell into the 40s by the latter half of 2014. Other investigations were conducted by the
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, the
New Jersey Legislature, and the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. On September 18, 2014,
WNBC reported that unnamed federal sources said the US attorney investigation had found no evidence that Christie had prior knowledge of or directed the closures. An interim report by the NJ legislative committee investigating the closures was released in December 2014. The committee had been unable to determine if Christie had advance knowledge since it was asked by the US attorney to postpone interviewing certain key witnesses. At a press conference on May 1, 2015, U.S. attorney
Paul J. Fishman stated that, based upon the evidence that was available, his office would not bring any more charges in the case. However, in September 2016, federal prosecutors in a trial of two New Jersey government officials over their involvement in "Bridgegate" said that a defendant and a witness boasted about their actions to the governor at the time, confirming what
Donald Trump had said in December 2015 while opposing Christie for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election. In response to the complaint filed by a local citizen,
Bergen County Municipal Presiding Judge Roy McGeady said "I'm satisfied that there's
probable cause to believe that an event of official misconduct was caused by Governor Christie. I'm going to issue the summons." In response, Brian Murray, Christie's press secretary, accused Judge McGeady of "violating the law, pure and simple." The Superior Court overruled the probable cause decision and sent the case back to Judge McGeady, and although the Superior Court did not toss the complaint, requested by Christie's counsel, the court ruled that Judge McGeady's decision not to allow Christie's lawyers to participate in the original hearing (argue or cross-examine) was made "erroneously". In January 2017, Bergen County prosecutors said they would not seek criminal charges against Christie in connection with the scandal. On November 4, 2016, a federal jury convicted former top Christie aides
Bill Baroni and
Bridget Anne Kelly of all charges. In March 2017, Baroni was sentenced to two years in prison and Kelly to 18 months in prison. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions on May 7, 2020.
Response to Hurricane Sandy in 2017 in the aftermath of
Hurricane Harvey On December 28, 2012, the
U.S. Senate approved $60.4 billion disaster relief package for
Hurricane Sandy, which damaged New Jersey and other states. The House did not vote until the next session on January 3. On January 2, Christie criticized the delay as "selfishness and duplicity" and blamed house speaker
John Boehner and the rest of the House Republican leadership. A bill for relief was passed in the House on January 15. In 2014, the
U.S. Department of Justice opened an inquiry into allegations that Christie made state grants of Hurricane Sandy relief funds to New Jersey cities conditional on support for other projects.
Official visit to the Middle East Continuing the tradition of earlier New Jersey governors since the 1980s, Christie traveled to
Israel in April 2012. During the visit, which included meetings with Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and President
Shimon Peres, Christie commented that "
Jerusalem has never been better or freer than under Israeli control." Christie took a helicopter tour of the
West Bank and cautioned against Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. The official title given to the trip was "Jersey to Jerusalem Trade Mission: Economic Growth, Diplomacy, Observance". The visit to Israel was Christie's first official overseas trip since taking office. From Israel, Christie continued with his family to
Jordan, as guests of
King Abdullah II.
Out of state travel Christie was absent from New Jersey at various points during his governorship. Christie was criticized for a December 2010 vacation to
Disney World with his family, while a major
blizzard damaged parts of New Jersey. At the same time, Lieutenant Governor
Kim Guadagno was vacationing in Mexico, leaving
Stephen Sweeney to serve as
acting governor during the crisis. In a response, Christie said the vacation was a long-held promise to his children, and that he had constantly been updated about the storm by officials. Amid the
January 2016 United States blizzard, Christie stayed only briefly in New Jersey for 36 hours, before heading off to New Hampshire. When asked why he was campaigning in New Hampshire when parts of the
Jersey Shore were flooded in sea water Christie said: "What do you want me to do, go down there with a mop?" Official records showed 190 full days and 71 partial days that Christie spent out of state in 2015 costed taxpayers about $614,000, and the final quarter, when Christie spent 32 days out of state campaigning for the presidency, cost $193,890. The bills totaled cost $492,420 in 2014, $220,355 in 2013; $248,277 in 2012; $129,842 in 2011 and $64,975 in 2010, which did not include the cost of overtime for the State Police troopers in EPU, which according to state regulations is confidential. A lawsuit which claimed that Christie "inappropriately forced New Jersey taxpayers to cover the cost of the governor's security and other key expenses while pursuing the presidency" was dismissed.
Island Beach State Park incident In July 2017 during
a budget shutdown and partial closing of state government services and facilities, the governor and his family were photographed from an airplane vacationing at
Island Beach State Park alone on the beach. The beach was closed to the public as a result of the shutdown, and Christie commuted to the beach from Trenton via state helicopter while his family was staying at the official governor's residence there. His spokesman said that he didn't "get any sun" because he was wearing a baseball cap at the time of the photo. When asked in an interview about people being upset that he was at the beach when they were unable to visit the beach, Christie responded, "I'm sorry they're not the governor".
Open records battles During his administration's eight years, the governor's office spent more than $1 million fighting
New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. On his way out, the governor, in an official letter to the State Archives, dictated how his office's records be handled. This came to light in May 2018, as the State Archives' release of electronic records relating to business by
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, were denied by his personal lawyer; Kushner's real estate company received $33 million in state tax breaks. Open records experts challenged Christie's "disturbing" actions.
End of tenure Christie was term limited from running for a third term in the
2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election. His lieutenant governor,
Kim Guadagno, ran in the election to replace him, but lost to the Democratic Party's nominee, former ambassador
Phil Murphy. By most estimates, his approval ratings when leaving office were as low as 15 percent, a drastic decline from his peak approval rating, 77 percent, in the aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy. When referring to his low poll numbers, Christie said he did not care because he was
not running for office. Christie left office on January 16, 2018. == Republican Governors Association ==