Christie announces bid for second term

Gov. Christie put any speculation about his future plans to rest Monday, announcing that he would run for a second term as governor next November.

The 50-year-old Republican made the announcement while visiting police and fire crews at Port Monmouth, one of many Shore towns ravaged by Sandy last month, saying the storm cemented his decision.

"The public needs to know that I'm in this for the long haul. That the person that led them through the initial crisis wants to be here to lead them through the rebuilding and restoration of our state," he said. "It would be wrong for me to leave now. I don't want to leave now. We have a job to do."

Since defeating former Wall Street executive Gov. Jon S. Corzine in 2009, Christie has been transformed from a relatively little-known U.S. attorney to a national political figure.

From the months of speculation about whether he would run for president to the YouTube videos of his confrontations with critics, Christie has cultivated an image as a brash, quick-witted politician who says he tells the truth when others might not.

That image was cemented in the aftermath of Sandy, as Christie, in what became his signature blue fleece, proclaimed he did not care about the imminent presidential election and praised President Obama's leadership, angering many in the GOP.

The clip was aired on television for days and seemed to strike a chord with New Jersey voters. In a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released last week, Christie's approval rating was at 65 percent, a 15 percent bump from the previous month.

That leaves any Democratic nominee with a steep hill to climb.

None has announced, but those reportedly eyeing the nomination include some of the party's top figures: Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Senate President Stephen Sweeney, State Sens. Barbara Buono and Richard Codey, and Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, chairman of the state Democratic Party, also is looking at seeking the nomination. He said he expected announcements would start coming by the end of the year.

"The list varies depending on the time of year and who's writing about it," he said. "The Democratic candidate will need to draw a clear distinction between themselves and the governor. . . . He has a record. It's measurable. You can raise questions about it."

In Democratic-leaning New Jersey, Christie was the first Republican elected governor since Christie Whitman left office in 2001. He had a contentious race with Corzine, winning by less than four percentage points in a surprise to many political observers.

Standing before cameras Monday, he did not promise a speedy recovery from Sandy, asking for patience but assuring storm victims he would not rest until it was completed.

"I'm going to have to go fight down in Washington for the money. But I'm going to fight," he said.