[23] At Livingston, Christie served as class president, played catcher for the baseball team,[22] and was selected as a New Jersey Representative to the United States Senate Youth Program.

[22] In 1994, Christie was elected as a Republican to the Board of Chosen Freeholders, or legislators, for Morris County, New Jersey, after he and a running mate defeated incumbents in the party primary.

Alongside fellow partner and later, gubernatorial campaign fundraiser Bill Palatucci, Christie's firm opened an office in the state capital, Trenton, devoted mainly to lobbying.

[41] During Republican presidential debates in August 2015 and November 2023,[42] Christie falsely[43] claimed he had been appointed by President Bush on September 10, 2001, and that the 9/11 attacks occurred in his state the next day.

[53] In 2005, following an investigation, Christie negotiated a plea agreement with Charles Kushner, under which he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering.

[22][73] Christie's biographers (journalists Michael Symons and Bob Ingle) concluded that, "The timing of the Menendez-related subpoena doesn't line up right to support the critics' theory.

[80] Christie began building a national fundraising network, aided by the fact that only one other state had a gubernatorial contest in 2013, and those financial resources were intended to support a major outreach effort toward blacks, Hispanics and women.

[89] In late June 2011, Christie utilized New Jersey's line-item veto to eliminate nearly $1 billion from the proposed budget, signing it into law just hours prior to July 1, 2011, the beginning of the state's fiscal year.

The previous gubernatorial administration, that of Democrat Jon Corzine, had also attempted to settle with Exxon, for $550 million, though this offer was made before a 2009 ruling that strengthened the state's bargaining position.

2647 (A-2647) into law that requires employers to post and distribute notice of employees' rights to gender-equal pay, but conditionally vetoed other gender parity bills, requesting revision.

[168] In 2009, Christie identified himself as anti-abortion,[169] but stated that he would not use the governor's office to "force that down people's throats", while still expressing support for banning "partial-birth abortion", parental notification, and a 24-hour waiting period.

[174] At that time, New Jersey permitted people aged 16 and 17 to marry with parental consent and judicial approval, assuming there was "clear and convincing evidence that granting the license would be in the best interest and welfare of the minor.

"[175] After Christie left office in 2018, New Jersey became the second state in the Union to prohibit marriage for everyone under the age of majority (after Delaware), when the new governor, Phil Murphy, signed the bill into law.

[210][211] In 2010, Christie cancelled the Access to the Region's Core project, which would have constructed two new tunnels under the Hudson River and a new terminal station in New York City for NJ Transit commuter trains.

[217][218] One common theory as to why the lanes were closed is that it was political retribution against Democratic Fort Lee mayor Mark Sokolich for not supporting Christie in the 2013 gubernatorial election.

[219][220] Another possible motive involves a major real estate development project, which was a top priority for Sokolich, that was under way at the Fort Lee bridge access point.

[234] However, in September 2016, federal prosecutors in a trial of two New Jersey government officials over their involvement in "Bridgegate" said that a defendant and a witness boasted about their actions to the governor at the time, confirming what Donald Trump had said in December 2015 while opposing Christie for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election.

[3] On October 13, 2016, a complaint of official misconduct that alleges that the governor knew of the closures of access lanes while they were ongoing but failed to act to reopen them was allowed to proceed.

[249] In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an inquiry into allegations that Christie made state grants of Hurricane Sandy relief funds to New Jersey cities conditional on support for other projects.

[252][253][254] During the visit, which included meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, Christie commented that "Jerusalem has never been better or freer than under Israeli control.

[268] A lawsuit which claimed that Christie "inappropriately forced New Jersey taxpayers to cover the cost of the governor's security and other key expenses while pursuing the presidency" was dismissed.

[290] The Obesity Society, a nonprofit scientific group, released a statement asserting, "To suggest that Governor Christie's body weight discounts and discredits his ability to be an effective political candidate is inappropriate, unjust, and wrong.

[299] Christie faced significant backlash before and after the election from conservative Republicans who accused him of acting to bolster his own personal political standing at the expense of Romney and the party.

[315] Trump considered Christie as a potential vice-presidential running mate, and he was on the shortlist alongside former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

"[322] After calls for his impeachment as governor and felony convictions in U.S. federal court of high-ranking members of his staff in the Bridgegate scandal, Christie was dropped by Trump as leader of the transition team, in favor of Pence.

[8] On June 6, Christie filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for president, announcing his bid later that day at an event in Manchester, New Hampshire.

[380] Speaking with Washington Post journalist Leigh Ann Caldwell at a forum hosted by the University of Chicago in April, Christie said it was "pretty stupid" that Biden did not reach out to him after he dropped out.

[377] By June, Christie was among several prominent Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who refused to support either candidate in the race.

[402] Christie was paid $240,000 during the pandemic for lobbying on behalf of a Tennessee-based chain of addiction treatment centers and three New Jersey hospital systems seeking federal funding.

In a September 9, 2021, speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, Christie implored Republicans to reject their most extreme elements such as QAnon, white supremacists and election fraud conspiracy theorists.