SANDOWN, N.H. (AP) – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is making a pragmatic pitch to voters as he begins his uphill fight for the Republican presidential nomination.
“You need to know what you’re buying,” Christie told potential supporters at a town hall meeting Tuesday in New Hampshire hours after a kickoff rally at his old high school. He pledged to be straight with voters about his beliefs – “and if you like it, great,” he said. “And if you don’t, my goodness, there’s 13 other candidates to pick from.”
In New Jersey, the governor had lashed out against “bickering leaders” from both parties and said compromise should be considered a virtue in politics, not a sin.
“We need this country to work together again, not against each other,” Christie said with his wife, Mary Pat, and their four children standing behind him. He promised to lead a White House that would “welcome the American people no matter what party, no matter what race or creed or color.”
Christie brings a record of Republican electoral success in a Democratic state to the contest, underpinning his claim that he could lead effectively across party lines as president. But he’s up against an accomplished lineup of governors, senators and business people vying for the nomination. Christie’s effort is largely driven by his outsized personality; his resume, while notable, contains scattered land mines that have given many Republicans pause.