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Bruce Harris lost the fight of his life Thursday, and it wasn’t his fault, not even one bit. It was painful to watch because he is so clearly a decent man and a gentle soul, caught between larger political actors who played him as an expendable pawn in their never-ending game of chess. Yet there he was, taking one blow after another as Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee built a rock-solid case against his nomination to the state Supreme Court during a five-hour hearing.

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie today reacted angrily to Democrats' rejection of his second Supreme Court nominee, Bruce Harris, calling their reasoning "lame" and accusing them of "political assassination."

TRENTON — Dealing Gov. Chris Christie his second bitter defeat over a high-ranking judicial appointment, the Senate Judiciary Committee today rejected the nomination of Mayor Bruce Harris of Chatham Borough to the state Supreme Court. The Democrat-controlled committee voted 7 to 6 to turn away the 61-year-old Harris, the first openly gay and third African-American to be nominated to the state's highest court. State Sen. Brian Stack (D-Hudson), an ally of the Republican governor, was the only Democrat to vote in support of the nomination.

I feel something washing over me. I’m standing in New Jersey, so it’s probably red ink. No, wait a minute — it’s glowing ink! It could only be one thing: more conservative hagiography about the Garden State’s GOP governor. Chris Christie is so not one of us that articles like “Christie Is One of Us” — a new contribution to the genre, from National Review’s Noah Glyn — are churned out regularly as the governor’s smitten admirers, from Ann Coulter to NR staffers, labor to convince us of what they’ve convinced themselves of: that an ostensibly gruff, internally milquetoast, progressive-lite,...

Chris Christie is so not one of us that articles like “Christie Is One of Us” — a new contribution to the genre, from National Review’s Noah Glyn — are churned out regularly as the governor’s smitten admirers, from Ann Coulter to NR staffers, labor to convince us of what they’ve convinced themselves of: that an ostensibly gruff, internally milquetoast, progressive-lite, pro-Islamist Republican must be the second coming of Ronald Reagan because he has managed to make a basket-case blue state marginally less of a basket case. And “marginally” is the operative word. Glyn’s valentine to Christie is unfortunately timed....

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, co-starred in a new video made for the state's recent Press Association Legislative Correspondents Club dinner. It's funny and it highlights some of the positive things for which both men are known (Governor Christie's New Jersey Comeback, Mayor Booker's heroism when a neighbor's house caught fire), but it also shows something else.

Who will Romney pick as his running mate? Ryan Rubio Christie Portman Someone else

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — a rising star in the national Republican Party — called an overhaul of the state pension system his "biggest governmental victory." He now faces embarrassment from flaws his reforms failed to fix.

Dem: Gov. Christie angling for VP nod with healthcare vetoBy Sam Baker - 05/11/12 09:50 AM ET Democrats say New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was simply angling for the GOP’s vice presidential nomination when he vetoed a bill to implement part of President Obama’s healthcare law. Christie vetoed legislation Thursday to create an insurance exchange — a new marketplace for consumers to compare and buy healthcare coverage. The Affordable Care Act directs each state to establish an exchange by 2014. “This was very clearly a message to Mitt Romney saying, ‘Pick me, pick me,’ ” Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) said...

Gov. Christie: Israeli control is best for proper worship at holy sites Apr 4, 2012 - TIBERIAS, Israel — After Gov. Chris Christie, his family and top staffers made a day-long sojourn through the New Testament today, the ...

A Quinnipiac poll in April showed Chris Christie as the most popular potential Republican vice-presidential candidate, thanks to his budget cuts and standing up to government employees’ unions. But the governor of New Jersey has a problem, specifically an Islam problem, that can and should get in the way of his possible ascent to higher office. Time and again he has sided with Islamist forces against those who worry about safeguarding American security and civilization.

Marco Rubio may not be the dream running mate for Mitt Romney that he has been made out to be. The results of a Public Policy Polling poll released Thursday indicate that with Rubio as a running mate, Romney would actually lose traction against President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. If he picks Chris Christie, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee or Jeb Bush, however, he becomes a stronger candidate. In a head-to-head match up against Obama, Romney currently trails the president by a 49-46 margin. But the poll found that the right running mate could boost his chances.

Gov. Chris Christie said the country is becoming a "paternalistic entitlement society" this morning in a speech at a conservative conference headed by former President George W. Bush. Addressing Bush and other national Republicans, Christie said he hasn't seen a less optimistic period in the country in his lifetime. "Government's telling them stop dreaming, stop striving, we'll take care of you," he said at a theater at the New York Historical Society. "We're turning into a paternalistic entitlement society. That will not just bankrupt us financially, it will bankrupt us morally." "We'll have a bunch of people sitting on a...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) landed in Israel Sunday for a four-day trip intended to “strengthen New Jersey’s economic and diplomatic relationships with foreign nations,” his office announced. The trip, which is being labeled as the "Jersey to Jerusalem Trade Mission," includes members of the state’s Jewish and business communities, as well as the governor’s family. Christie’s office said he is scheduled to meet with diplomatic leaders and honor the region’s people, traditions and culture. Christie also intends on travelling to Jordan where he will meet with King Abdullah II, before returning to New Jersey on Easter Sunday. “It...

Gov. Christie waded into a skirmish with a former Navy SEAL on Thursday as the weeks-long battle over his plan to merge Rutgers-Camden and Rowan University spilled into a town-hall meeting in Burlington County. The yelling match erupted Thursday in Roebling after Christie told veteran William Brown - a Rutgers-Camden law student and former Democratic Assembly candidate who opposes the merger - that the school would definitely be folded into Rowan. It ended with the governor dismissing Brown as an "idiot" and police hustling the man out of the firehouse in the Florence Township community. Outside, Brown fumed that the...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Sunday defended Mitt Romney against criticism that his wealth complicates his ability to connect with everyday folks, saying Romney’s wealth should be a positive factor in the race. “I think that’s what we want in a president of the United States,” Christie told host Bob Schieffer CBS’s “Face the Nation,” saying that Romney's wealth is a reflection of his success. His defense came after Romney noted in a Michigan speech Friday that his wife Ann drives “a couple of Cadillacs.” “So the cat’s out of the bag, Bob, on the fact that Governor Romney’s...

Chris Christie has resisted every temptation to run for president, but he’s no longer sure he’d be able to resist the temptation to join the GOP ticket as the vice presidential nominee. If Mitt Romney asked, he just might say yes, he said yesterday. Christian Heinze of the website GOP12 notes that Christie, the popular sharp-tongued Republican who endorsed Mitt Romney’s candidacy for president, is now singing a different tune when asked about being on the GOP ticket in 2012.“If Gov. Romney were to come and talk to me about it, I would listen because I love my party enough...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie isn't ruling out the possibility the topsy-turvy GOP presidential race ends up in a contested party convention this summer if Mitt Romney loses Tuesday's Michigan primary.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kept his vow to veto a bill allowing same-sex marriage Friday as he sent it back to the legislature, reiterating that the voters should decide if they want a societal change as significant as allowing gay marriage. The Republican governor vetoed the bill, titled Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act, which the N.J. Assembly passed Thursday, three days after its passage in the state Senate. "I am adhering to what I've said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to...

GOVERNOR WRONG TO HAVE FLAG LOWERED TO HALF STAFF FOR CELEBRITIES NJLawman.com-Police and Law Enforcement News Thursday, February 16, 2012 Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered all New Jersey State and American flags to be lowered to half staff on Saturday in honor of Entertainer Whitney Houston who passed away this week. Last year, the governor did the same for Clarence Clemmons, the saxophone player for the E Street Band. In January, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett ordered the state flag to half staff for three days in honor of Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno when he passed. We...

(AP) TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Chris Christie has followed through on his promise to reject a bill allowing same-sex marriage in New Jersey by quickly vetoing the measure Friday. The veto came a day after the state Assembly passed the bill. The state Senate had passed it on Monday. Christie, a Republican who opposes same-sex marriage, had vowed "very swift action" once the bill reached his desk. In returning the bill to the Legislature, Christie reaffirmed his view that voters should decide whether to change the definition of marriage in New Jersey. His veto also proposed creating an ombudsman to...

Flags will be lowered in New Jersey Saturday, the day of Whitney Houston’s funeral. But a Marine mom in Arlington says it’s an honor Houston doesn’t deserve. When Phyllis McGeath heard Gov. Chris Christie had ordered flags lowered to half-staff for Houston, she said she felt a pain deep inside her. “I was hurt and offended. Disappointed. Saddened,” she said. “I felt like the honor that was given to my son was tarnished.” McGeath had three sons who were active duty Marines. Her oldest, Philip, was killed by a suicide bomber just four weeks ago in Afghanistan. He was 25.

Flags will be lowered in New Jersey Saturday, the day of Whitney Houston’s funeral. But a Marine mom in Arlington says it’s an honor Houston doesn’t deserve. When Phyllis McGeath heard Gov. Chris Christie had ordered flags lowered to half-staff for Houston, she said she felt a pain deep inside her. “I was hurt and offended. Disappointed. Saddened,” she said. “I felt like the honor that was given to my son was tarnished.” McGeath had three sons who were active duty Marines. Her oldest, Philip, was killed by a suicide bomber just four weeks ago in Afghanistan. He was 25....

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he will order flags flown at half-staff Saturday in memory of Whitney Houston.

In an address recently delivered to an AIPAC audience in New York, New Jersey governor Chris Christie articulated a responsible view of America’s role in the world, stressing the importance of us standing by our friends and taking action against our adversaries. “America should stand by its friends and its democratic allies, even, and sometimes especially, when it’s unpopular to do so,” Christie said, outlining his foreign policy vision. “And you know I know, that it may not be fashionable in some of the chancelleries, the foreign ministries, and salons around the world to talk about why America stands with...

Maybe they should cut a deal: Gov. Chris Christie can put gay marriage to a popular vote, as long as Democrats can do the same with the millionaires tax, the Port Authority toll hikes and the governor's personal use of state helicopters. The governor's plan is not serious. It is a political dodge. He is trying to provide a safe haven to shelter his obedient Republican legislators. The idea is they could safely vote against gay marriage, saying they only want the people to decide. Imagine how different American history would be if this rule by referendums had carried the...

TRENTON — Stressing the importance of maintaining diversity at the highest levels of New Jersey’s judiciary, Gov. Chris Christie Monday nominated an openly gay African-American mayor and a Korean-American assistant attorney general to the Supreme Court.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin threw a roundhouse at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Monday, calling his recent criticism of Newt Gingrich a “rookie mistake” — and saying he got his “panties in a wad” and “spewed” all over the former House Speaker. We kid you not. Palin made the outrageous comments on the Fox Business Network in an exclusive interview that airs tonight at 7 p.m. PST. Launching into Christie’s recent remarks that the former House Speaker was becoming an “embarrassment” to the GOP, she added: “I do care to take him to task — poor Chris. This was...

"I think Newt Gingrich has embarrassed the party over time," Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" this morning. "Whether he'll do again in the future, I don't know. But Gov. Romney never has."

Chris Christie isn’t shy about playing Romney’s attack dog. This morning on Meet the Press, he said Gingrich has been “an embarrassment to the party”, citing his ethics violation and the fact that he was thrown out as Speaker of the House by his own party. Gingrich, on the other hand, showed this morning that he is his own best attack dog, suggesting that Romney’s arguments on Bain wouldn’t stand up to “a high school debater.” Gingrich suggested his own debate performance was a big contributor to his success in South Carolina. “One of the reasons I think people in...

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared on Meet the Press today to do damage control for Mitt Romney and to explain why Newt Gingrich would not be an ideal Republican nominee despite his strong victory in South Carolina last night. He claimed that Gingrich’s past actions have embarrassed the Republican party, and Mitt Romney was more suited to be the nominee because of his record and how he conducted himself in office as opposed to Gingrich. David Gregory asked Christie to explain what about Newt Gingrich’s politics or his character disqualified him from being the Republican nominee against President Obama....

In an effort to once again run defense for Barack Obama, NBC's Today co-host Matt Lauer on Wednesday pushed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to agree that the President's sustained effort to pit economic classes against one another is just a matter of fairness: "Talk to me about that word 'envy.' Because I asked Governor Romney about this last week as well....why is it envy as opposed to unfairness?" As Lauer mentioned, he did ask Mitt Romney an almost identical question on the January 11 broadcast: "Do you suggest that anyone who questions the policies and practices of Wall Street...

Gov. Chris Christie will postpone his annual State of the State address today but will still pay a visit to the Legislature to eulogize his close friend, Assemblyman Alex DeCroce, who died suddenly Monday night. DeCroce, a longtime Assemblyman and leading Republican of the state's lower house, collapsed and died in a bathroom inside the Statehouse late Monday night, just moments after the 214th Legislature held its final voting session. A teary-eyed Christie made a visit to the legislative offices shortly after DeCroce died, hugging lawmakers before discussing the revised schedule. Christie was expected to tout his achievements and lay...

EXETER, N.H. — At a Sunday evening campaign rally for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie clashed with “Occupy” protesters and called President Obama “the most pessimistic man I’ve ever seen.” Christie, whose presence drew thousands to a local high school, said Obama was intentionally looking to exploit Americans’ anxiety and frustration with their government in “the most cynical re-election strategy you could ever think of.” “He doesn’t care that you’re angry,” he said. “He just wants you to be angry at somebody else.” When a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters tried to shout him...

EXETER, N.H. — At a rally meant to be all about boosting support for Mitt Romney, protesters instead took center stage, evoking colorful responses from both Romney and his outspoken surrogate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who at one time referred to one of the protestors as “sweetheart.” “Really?” said Christie, as soon as protestors interrupted him, the second outburst of the night from the group, who had already gone after Romney. “You know, something may go down tonight, but it ain’t going to be jobs, sweetheart.” “See it’s this confusion that’s out there because if she was in New...

"Let's be real clear. Let's be real clear. President Barack Obama came out to Iowa three years ago, and he talked to you about hope and change. Well, let me tell you, after three years of Obama, we are hopeless and changeless, and we need Mitt Romney to bring us back, to bring America back," Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) said in Iowa today at a Romney rally. * At the end of the video, while Christie is introducing Romney, an "Occupy" protester starts to chant "You are the 1%" as she is escorted off the premises. The heckler also trips...

Playing off his persona as a New Jersey tough guy, Christie issued a mock warning. "New Jersey's watching you … We're watching you real closely," he said. "And I want to tell you something. I want to tell you something really clearly. I'm in a good mood this morning. I'm feeling happy and upbeat. I'm happy to be with Mitt and Ann. But let me tell ya, if you people disappoint me Tuesday, if you don't do what you're supposed to do on Tuesday for Mitt Romney. I will be back, Jersey-style."

HOPATCONG, N.J. (AP) — A cable TV repairman got quite a surprise when he walked into the basement of a New Jersey home. There was a 500-pound bear sound asleep on the floor.

That’s what Michael Barone, co-author of “The Almanac of American Politics,” argued at an election forum this morning hosted by the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Voters no longer need to meet candidates at events or see them at rallies to feel as though they know them, he argues. “New media has in different ways displaced some of the old techniques of campaigning that have worked in the past,” he said. “Voters seem to be getting an in-depth look at the candidates through the Internet and cable TV. People can get a sense of them through YouTube clips.”

Larry Sabato, an election prognosticator, predicts another candidate may jump in the race in February. He also says the Republican nominating process may go all the way to the convention in late summer. Sabato says since a lot of February primaries have moved up to January not much is going on voting-wise that month. This may lead to another candidate, Republican or third-party, jumping in the race. "I think for the Republicans, they would go back to the big stars who said no. Chris Christie," Sabato said on FOX News this afternoon. "We'll go over this many times between now...

Someone attempted to grill New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at a town hall again, and thanks to that brave (or some would say, attention-seeking) soul, the media has a new viral video of the Governor getting sassy with a constituent. This time, the town hall attendant asked whether the governor planted questions at town hall meetings, citing a situation where he saw someone ask a question at another event who claimed to be a friend of Christie’s. After scolding him for “wasting time,” Christie asked, “if I plant questions, why the hell did I call on you?”

As Mitt Romney increasingly mixes it up with his primary rivals, he's unleashing Chris Christie to help take on the competition. The New Jersey governor was on the campaign trail for Romney in Florida on Thursday, and had some choice words for his new chief antagonist in the GOP race, Newt Gingrich. "Speaker Gingrich has never run anything," Christie said when asked to compare the two candidates, according to FLDemocracy2012.com, a Scripps Media project. "He's been a legislator. I have to tell you – I don’t think being a legislator is the best calling card." "Look at the guy we...

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Shifting his Iowa campaign into a more aggressive final phase, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is launching his first TV ads in the state with a spot in which he declares, "I've learned something about how it is that economies grow." "The right answer for America is to stop the growth of the federal government and to start the growth of the private sector," Romney says in the 30-second spot set to run Friday. The former Massachusetts governor's decision to start spending money on paid advertising in Iowa five weeks before the Jan. 3 caucuses...

Gov. Chris Christie on Monday tore into President Barack Obama in the aftermath of the supercommittee’s failure to reach an agreement on debt reduction last week, asking the president, “What the hell are we paying you for?”

“Those who think ‘oh, absolutely, this is going to be 1980; we are going to run against Jimmy Carter’… and then there are those of us like me and apparently Governor Christie who think this guy is going to be tough to beat... The idea that you pick the most right-wing candidate without any concern over who can win is suicidal..." Video at link...

Christie attacks jurists' motives in pension caseBy Beth DeFalco Associated Press Posted: Fri, Nov. 11, 2011, 3:00 AM TRENTON - Gov. Christie questioned the motives of two state Supreme Court justices Thursday after the court agreed to fast-track a case involving a Superior Court judge's challenge to a new requirement that judges - like other state employees - pay more toward their health insurance and pensions. The suit maintains that the higher contributions in effect reduce judicial salaries and thus violate the state Constitution provision that the salaries of Supreme Court and Superior Court judges "shall not be diminished during...

Who can say "gay" isn't okay in New Jersey? Judging by Gov. Chris Christie's actions, teachers can't. Christie told CNN's Piers Morgan on June 15 that he doesn't think homosexuality is a sin even though his religion does. To be sure that the citizens of New Jersey are aware of Christie's beliefs, the interview and transcript are posted on the official New Jersey website. Okay, that's his opinion. But read on. New Jersey high school teacher Viki Knox may have been inspired by Christie's comments to think that it was okay for a New Jersey public employee to express an...

Um, no we don’t. If anything, you could sum up the Tea Party as based in individual responsibility and the Occupy Wall Street protests as entitlement mania/revolution. Yeah, not really alike at all:

Chris Christie weighed in on the Occupy Wall Street protesters yesterday asserting that they "come from the same perspective" but have "different solutions." "What they are saying is, that 'Government is not working for me anymore, government is not being fair and government is not helping me the way it should,'" he added. Christie said that he didn't agree with the solutions of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, but said, "I understand why they are angry."

New Jersey Republican governor Chris Christie said Tuesday that he understands the growing Occupy Wall Street movement, adding that demonstrators have a right to be upset with the economy. “What they’re saying is ‘The government’s not working for me anymore, the government is not being fair, the government is not helping me the way that they should,’” Mr. Christie told a crowd of supporters. “I understand why they’re angry. Because you look down at what’s happening in Washington, D.C., it should disgust all of us,” the New Jersey Republican added. “You have a president who’s unwilling to drag people to...