Party paid $230,000 for Christie trips; calls it good investment

The New Jersey Republican Party has spent more than $230,000 this year on Gov. Christie's out-of-state travels as he prepares for a likely presidential bid in 2016, according to a filing made public Friday by the state's election watchdog.

That accounts for more than half of the $450,000 the party spent this year through April 1, according to the filing with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

The state GOP reported having $360,000 cash on hand and $513,000 in debt, mostly for legal fees and document-recovery fees related to the federal investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scandal.

"The state party has routinely paid for the governor's political travel and we continue to see a positive return on our investment, as the NJGOP has been able to raise nearly $21 million since he was elected governor - millions of which have been raised out of state due to his national profile, benefiting New Jersey Republicans," party spokeswoman Nicole Sizemore said in an e-mail.

The state Democratic Party reported about $190,000 cash on hand. An affiliated group raising money for Democratic Assembly candidates reported having $486,000 in cash, more than double what the Republican equivalent reported.

All 80 seats in the Democratic-controlled Assembly are up for election in November.

The state GOP paid $231,000 to Philadelphia-based Executive Jet Management Inc. in January for Christie's travels, the filing shows.

It spent an additional $9,800 on travels by either Christie or state party staff in the first quarter of this year to Washington; Boston; Des Moines, Iowa; Columbia, S.C.; Baltimore; Dallas; and Coronado, Calif.

The party's counsel had previously said the GOP would cover Christie's political travel. Earlier this year, the governor attended a number of inaugural ceremonies for Republican governors he helped elect last year as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

Christie's allies recently formed a federal political action committee, Leadership Matters for America PAC, which can accept individual donations of up to $5,000 to fund campaign activities.

He traveled to New Hampshire this week on behalf of the PAC.

The governor's supporters last month also formed a super PAC, America Leads, that can accept unlimited contributions. However, it cannot coordinate with Christie.

Sizemore said the state GOP would "continue to pay for the governor's travel when appropriate for the state party."