By Hunter Walker 8/29/12 10:53am

Meeting of the Minds

Chris Christie delivering his keynote speech on stage at the Republican National Convention last night. (Photo: Getty)

How Mitt Romney Won Over Chris Christie

TAMPA, Fla. — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who gave the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention last night, told the story of the meeting where he agreed to endorse Mitt Romney at a breakfast hosted by the New Hampshire and Pennsylvania delegations in a Doubletree Hotel by the Tampa airport this morning. Mr. Christie said he made the decision when Mr. Romney and his wife, Ann, visited the Christie homestead last fall for what was supposed to be a quiet business lunch. However, Mr. Christie’s children had other plans. Read More

By Hunter Walker and Colin Campbell 5/18/12 8:57am

Garden State

Chris Christie (Photo: YouTube)

Chris Christie Begging Celebrities To Watch His Veepstakes Video

Hey, have you seen New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s goofy web video with Newark hero-Mayor Cory Booker? Have you? Have you? Well, if you’re famous enough, Mr. Christie has probably tried to pitch it to you over Twitter.

Last night, the official account of the New Jersey Governor tweeted at Saturday Night Live and Seth Meyers, suggesting Mr. Christie and Mr. Booker would be good for a sketch on the show. Cute. But a quick glance further into his feed shows clear and troubling signs of desperation. Read More

By Hunter Walker 5/16/12 9:00am

Garden State

Cory Booker and Chris Christie in their video spoof. (Photo: Youtube)

Chris Christie and Cory Booker Spoof The Veepstakes [Video]

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker filmed a video for the annual New Jersey Press Association Legislative Correspondents Club Show spoofing Mr. Booker’s reputation as the “supermayor” and Mr. Christie’s widely rumored status as a potential vice presidential pick for Mitt Romney. The video begins with Mr. Christie trying to come up with something “even bigger” than Town Halls to energize his administration. He gets the idea to try to copy Mr. Booker’s daring rescue of a woman in a house fire last month by similarly saving someone from a disaster, but at every turn, Mr. Booker has already beat him to it.

“I got this,” Mr. Booker says.

“Booker!” Christie replies angrily each time his efforts are thwarted. Read More

By David Freedlander 5/09/12 6:28am

The Future Is Now

Drawing by Fred Harper

Are We There Yet? Will The 2012 Campaign Get Pushed Aside For The One In Four Years?

Not long ago, the political and media cognoscenti maintained a strict code of conduct: never—except in the privacy of a late night bar stool, after all the recorders have been turned off and the stories filed—should the next presidential election be speculated upon before the current one concludes. Eventually, after the last of the ballots were counted, some poor pundit would find himself on cable news, and with the newly completed campaign season no longer able to stomach more blather, he would gamely look ahead to the campaign four years hence.

And the world, it seemed would emit a loud groan. Too soon! We are politics-sick! No more horse-race frivolity!

Not so in 2012. Read More

By David Freedlander 5/08/12 6:07pm

suggested reading

Roundup: Man Up

Jerry Nadler and Scott Stringer are raising for Hakeem Jeffries.

Shelly Silver spiked the football with President Obama’s Albany visit.

Liz Benjamin’s got the low-down on the guest list.

Barack Obama’s tech team are putting together a fundraiser in Brooklyn tonight.

Russians in New York still lean Republican, but Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, the only native of the Soviet Union to hold office in New York, thinks this will change as the younger generation grows more educated: Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/30/12 8:28am

Field Trips

Mitt Romney and Chris Christie on stage together at a campaign event in New Hampshire January 8. (Photo: Getty)

Chris Christie Throws His Weight Behind Scott Walker

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is taking his show on the road and traveling to Wisconsin to stump for that state’s embattled governor, Scott Walker, who’s facing a recall election over his decision to eliminate collective bargaining for public employees. Mr. Christie’s trip to Wisconsin will kick off a summer tour of conservative events that will take him to Washington D.C., Kentucky and Chicago where he’s appearing at the regional conference of the Conservative Political Action Committee alongside Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann and Bobby Jindal. Read More

By David Freedlander 3/21/12 2:36pm

Spying

peter king american flag

Peter King: Chris Christie Has Ray Kelly Issues [Video]

Peter King appeared on the radio show of his favorite insult companion, Don Imus, today to talk about Gov. Chris Christie’s anger over the New York Police Department’s spying in New Jersey.

According to Mr. King, Gov. Christie “resents Ray Kelly.”

“I did sense that when Gov. Christie was U.S. attorney in New Jersey and he had a phone conversation with Ray Kelly on something and he didn’t think Ray Kelly showed him enough respect, and I think that is still lingering out there.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/08/12 4:30pm

Super Pacapalooza

Mitt Romney and Chris Christie on stage together at a campaign event in New Hampshire January 8. (Photo: Getty)

The Connection Between Mitt Romney’s Super PAC ‘Money Man’ And The Pro-Chris Christie PAC

A stealth PAC that has supported New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with a $1.5 million television ad campaign is linked to the same political consultancy that has raised $12 million for a super PAC that backs Mitt Romney. Carl Forti, who was Mitt Romney’s National Political Director for his 2008 campaign, has since been dubbed Mitt Romney’s “money man” because of his work with Restore Our Future PAC, a political action committee created to support Mr. Romney in this election cycle. A partner at Mr. Forti’s Black Rock Group is also working with  the Committee For Our Children’s Future, a stealth PAC dedicated to promoting the “reform movement” led by Mr. Christie, who many observers speculate could be a running mate if Mr. Romney is victorious in his quest for the Republican nomination. Read More

By Colin Campbell 3/02/12 9:51am

hudson river blues

(Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg and Christie Describe NYPD-New Jersey Relations Quite Differently

Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn’t see eye to eye with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on how much information New Jersey is getting from the New York City Police Department.

Yesterday, Governor Christie indicated his state was receiving very little information. “9/11 was not prevented because law enforcement agencies weren’t talking to each other, they were being selfish, they were being provincial, they were being paranoid, they were being arrogant,” he warned. “I do not want to return to those days.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 2/24/12 10:31am

watching newark

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Bloomberg: NYPD Is Keeping New Jersey Safe

After a recently leaked New York Police Department document revealed extensive surveillance operations of mosques and Muslim-owned businesses in Newark, New Jersey, critics pounced. However, on John Gambling’s radio show this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg argued the attacks of September 11th proved the need to monitor the Garden State.

“You’ve got to remember, an awful lot of 9/11 hijackers stayed in New Jersey for an extended periods of time, training, planning their attacks,” he said. “Mohamed Atta, the ringleader of the attacks, often met with others in Newark to coordinate and plan the attacks, including selecting which flights to hijack. There’s a reason to take a look at Newark here.”

“The people of Newark New Jersey, the people of New Jersey, are protected as well,” he added. “The NYPD is trying to stop terrorism in the entire region. If we knew about at threat in Newark, we wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, that’s yours. You worry about it.’ Quite the contrary.” Read More