Martinez says Chris Christie is like many ‘friends’ seeking GOP presidential

SANDOWN, N.H. (CBSNewYork) – A day after he declared his candidacy for president, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is campaigning Wednesday in the key state of New Hampshire, where he will try to recapture the magic that once made him a star of the Republican Party.

In an interview with the Bergen Record, Christie described his relationship with the president during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Christie said he is “incredibly disappointed” in Chief Justice Roberts. The governor has staunchly defended having taxpayers pick up the tab, even when he’s outside New Jersey attending political events, explaining that he’s not doing anything different from past governors. That includes governors present (Christie, Kasich, Jindal and Walker) and past (Bush).

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) smiles as he speaks to supporters as he announces that he is running for the Republican presidential nomination, during a rally at the Freedom Tower, Monday, April 13, 2015, in Miami. He hedged on requiring children to get vaccinated when, for a moment, it seemed as though the libertarian wing of the GOP demanded it. He pulled New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state carbon pricing program that both combated harmful greenhouse gas emissions and produced revenue the state used to balance its budget.

“Controversies come and go, leadership is what stands strong and firm”, he said. In New Hampshire this week they’ve been traveling in two black SUVs with New Jersey license plates.

He has repeated the story at town hall meetings in New Hampshire.

“The poll also found that New Jerseyans are not likely to be won over by the Christie campaign’s “telling it like it is” slogan”.

Robert Yudin, a Wyckoff resident who chairs the Bergen County Republican Committee, said, “We need a presidential candidate who has the ability to defeat Hillary Clinton”. That position puts him at odds with a number of his rivals, most notably Donald Trump, the outspoken billionaire who has been making headlines (and losing contracts) with his incendiary remarks about America’s southern neighbor.

“I’m not sure how the governor defines ‘a lot, ‘ but any common sense usage of the term would have to be significantly greater than 5 percent”, said Patrick Murray, director of Monmouth University’s Polling Institute.

Murray attributes the high number of people opposed to pay for Christie’s security to voters also feeling the governor has abandoned the state.

In the past, Christie has claimed the pension reforms as one of his biggest political wins. “The vast majority feel he has turned his back on New Jersey, so why should we be paying for anything?” During the launch of his bid, Christie walked up to the stage without a prepared text and vowed to campaign and lead as a “colourful teller of hard truths”. Christie denies he had anything to do with it, and no evidence has emerged that he was involved. “Apparently taxpayers aren’t paying enough”.

On October 31, 2012, When Christie reached to shake Obama’s hand after the president exited Air Force One, Obama patted him reassuringly on the shoulder leading to the following photo.

Campaign strategist Mike Duhame said Christie doesn’t have to connect with voters on every single issue to be successful. During an October 2013 debate with Barbara Buono (Christie’s Democratic opponent), the moderator asked each candidate to say something nice about the other.