Chris Christie | |
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55th Governor of New Jersey | |
Assumed office January 19, 2010 |
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Lieutenant | Kim Guadagno |
Preceded by | Jon Corzine |
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey | |
In office January 17, 2002 – December 1, 2008 |
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President | George W. Bush |
Preceded by | Robert J. Cleary |
Succeeded by | Ralph J. Marra Jr. |
Member of the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders | |
In office January 1, 1995 – December 31, 1997 |
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Preceded by | Edward Tamm |
Succeeded by | John J. Murphy |
Personal details | |
Born |
Christopher James Christie September 6, 1962 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Mary Pat Foster (1986–present) |
Children | 4 |
Education |
University of Delaware, Newark (BA) Seton Hall University (JD) |
Signature |
Christopher James "Chris" Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and attorney. He is a member of the Republican Party and has been the 55th Governor of New Jersey since January 2010. His term ends January 16, 2018.
Born in Newark, Christie volunteered for Thomas Kean's gubernatorial campaign at age 15. After graduating in 1984 from the University of Delaware, he earned a J.D. at Seton Hall. He practiced law 1987–2002. He was elected county freeholder (legislator) for Morris County, serving 1995–1998. By 2002, he had campaigned for Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush; the latter appointed him U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, a position he held 2002–2008.
Christie won the 2009 Republican primary for Governor of New Jersey, defeating the incumbent in the general election. During his first term, he was credited with cutting spending, capping property tax growth, and was praised for his response to and recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy, and was re-elected by a wide margin in 2013. After the start of his second term as governor, Christie's standing was damaged by the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. Since then, he has ranked among the least popular governors in the United States; for example, a September 2016 poll found that he was the third least popular governor in the country, with an approval rating of 29%. By January 2017, this had slipped to just 17%.