Chris Christie took office as the 55th governor of New Jersey on January 19, 2010, began his second term on January 21, 2014, and left office on January 16, 2018.

Electoral history

Cabinet

Finances and budget 2010 New Jersey budget Governor Christie declared a "state of emergency" and laid out plans for more than US$1 billion in cuts to the state budget in an address to the New Jersey State Assembly on February 10, 2010. The budget included a carefully crafted plan requiring school districts to spend their surpluses in order to allow the state to withhold US$400 million in aid funding while retaining federal stimulus eligibility and avoiding the need for the legislature to pass a bill. Due to falling revenues and growing expenses, the Christie administration inherited a US$1.3 billion budget deficit from the US$29 billion 2009 New Jersey budget passed by Jon Corzine's administration.

On February 9, 2010, he signed Executive Order No. 12, which placed a 90-day freeze on the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) and established the Housing Opportunity Task Force to examine the State's affordable housing laws, constitutional obligations, and the effectiveness of the current framework.

On February 11, 2010, Christie signed Executive Order No. 14, which declared a "state of fiscal emergency exists in the State of New Jersey" due to the projected $2.2 billion budget deficit for the current fiscal year (FY 2010). In a speech before a special joint session of the New Jersey Legislature on the same day, Christie addressed the budget deficit and revealed a list of fiscal solutions to close the gap. Christie also suspended funding for the Department of the Public Advocate and called for its elimination. Some Democrats criticized Christie for not first consulting them on his budget cuts and for circumventing the Legislature's role in the budget process.

2011 New Jersey budget The battles over New Jersey's state budget for the 2012 fiscal year starting July 1, 2011, began in February 2011. Governor Christie vetoed 14 bills on February 21, 2011, which were intended to promote economic growth and job creation and were passed by the New Jersey State Assembly earlier in the month. Christie justified his vetoes by stating that the bills failed to pay for themselves, while Assembly Democrats replied that the bills would not have cost money immediately, and that their funding could have been addressed at a later date. Christie followed up by announcing that his own budget would be put forth the next day, including some similar business tax incentives which would be structured within the context of a balanced budget.

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

February budget address Governor Christie scheduled a budget address to the State Legislature and his constituents on February 22, 2011. Throughout the months prior to the address, Christie had been making his case for cutting business taxes, giving property tax relief to residents, overhauling funding of the State pension system, changing school aid, and possibly cutting State Medicaid benefits. News analysis of the events predicted that this would be the beginning of a partisan political battle between the Governor's office and the Democrat led State Assembly, which was born out prior to the address by Senate President Stephen Sweeney who was quoted as saying "We've heard nothing from the administration. This is not a good start".

Democratic Chairman John Wisniewski announced, as part of the budget address coverage, US$250 million in funding towards education programs as part of Christie's promise to revamp public school spending in the state. New Jersey had spent around US$10 billion a year on education in previous administrations, but the Christie administration had cut funding in the 2010 budget which prompted lawsuits being heard by the New Jersey Supreme Court. Senate republicans were reported to be advocating for increased funding to suburban districts in the state.

State pension funding Governor Christie was expected to budget US$500 million to the New Jersey pension fund in the 2011 budget. The Christie administration did not budget any of the US$3 billion in funding to the pension plan in the 2010 state budget, and budgeted an amount of $500 million in 2011.

2013 New Jersey budget In June 2013, Christie signed a $33 billion state budget that made a record $1.7 billion payment to the state's pension fund and also increased school funding by almost $100 million. He agreed to expand the state's Medicaid program, with more costs covered by the federal government under the Affordable Care Act.

Credit rating downgrades Under Christie New Jersey's credit rating has been downgraded the most of any New Jersey governor. As of September 2014, only Illinois had a lower rating among US states.

On May 2, 2014, Fitch Ratings, one of the major Wall Street credit-rating agencies, downgraded New Jersey's credit-rating for both the "scale and belatedness" of New Jersey $807 million budget gap, following a similar downgrade by Standard & Poor's in April. On May 13, 2014, Moody's Investors Service downgraded New Jersey credit. As of May 2014, the state's credit rating had been dropped twice by Fitch Ratings, twice by Standard & Poors and twice by Moody's Investors Service. The credit rating agencies performed the downgrades based on the overestimation of revenue collection by the Christie administration, and on relying on short-term measures rather than implementing taxation or spending changes that would have an impact in limiting budgets.

On September 5, 2014, Fitch Ratings again lowered their rating on the state's debt, from A+ to A. stating: "Following significant revenue underperformance, the state relied upon the repudiation of its statutory contribution requirements to the pension systems to return to budgetary balance, exacerbating a key credit weakness" Some days later, citing unbalanced budget and under-funded pensions, Standard and Poor's also cut the state's rating.

In November 2016, the state saw its 10th credit downgrade under Christie, with a Standard and Poors rating moving from A to A− (stable to negative).

In 2017, Moody's downgraded New Jersey's credit rating for the fourth time during Christie's governorship.

Affordable Care Act marketing money New Jersey lost a $7.6 million grant from the federal government to promote the health insurance exchange under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in February 2014. The federal government rejected a proposal from New Jersey's insurance commissioner to use the funds to support Medicaid enrollment, rather than insurance enrollment through the new, subsidized federal marketplace "exchange".

Despite this, as of March 2014, the number of people without health insurance in New Jersey had fallen to its lowest level since 1990. A report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy (studying Medicaid, private direct, and exchange enrollments, as part of the Urban Institute's national monitoring project) estimated that 430,000 people in New Jersey gained coverage from October 2013 through early March 2014 (before the last-minute sign-ups). "There was a lot less investment in outreach and public education in New Jersey than in other places, like New York," according to Rutgers Center director Joel Cantor (an author of the report). "They probably had $10 invested for every $1 in New Jersey," but achieved only comparable results. Activists planned to focus on Latinos and young adults for the next open enrollment.

Handling of natural disasters December 2010 North American blizzard Governor Christie was not in New Jersey during the December 2010 North American blizzard. Acting Governor and Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, took charge during this historic blizzard while the Governor and Lt. Governor were on vacation."New Jersey’s State Of Emergency Rescinded". CBS New York. December 27, 2010.

Hurricane Irene Governor Christie played a very vocal role in responding to the August 2011 landfall in New Jersey of Hurricane Irene. Prior to the storm's arrival he ordered massive evacuations of coastal areas of the state. At one press conference he directly told people who had not heeded evacuation orders to "get the hell off the beach".Haberman, Maggie (August 26, 2011). "Chris Christie to New Jerseyans: 'Get the hell off the beach'". Politico.com.

Superstorm Sandy

Christie played a part in New Jersey preparing for Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. Christie ordered all residents of barrier islands from Sandy Hook to Cape May to evacuate and closed Atlantic City casinos. Tolls were suspended on the northbound Garden State Parkway and the westbound Atlantic City Expressway starting at 6 a.m. on October 28. President Obama signed an emergency declaration for New Jersey, allowing the state to request federal funding and other assistance for actions taken before Sandy's landfall.

On October 30, 2012, during a press conference to discuss the impact of Hurricane Sandy, Christie praised the disaster relief efforts of President Barack Obama.

In February 2016, the state received only $15 million of $1 billion funds available for relief and resiliency funding because of a weak application submitted by the Christie administration.

Blizzard of 2016 Christie was highly criticized for first not planning to return to New Jersey and then staying only briefly for the January 2016 United States blizzard. When asked why he was campaigning in New Hampshire when part of the Jersey Shore was flooded in sea water Christie said: "What do you want me to do? Go down there with a mop?"

Supreme Court nominations and stand-off with Senate A substantial portion of Christie's tenure was taken up with a major conflict with the New Jersey Legislature over the New Jersey Supreme Court's partisan balance. The stand-off between the governor and the New Jersey Senate resulted in longstanding vacancies, with temporarily assigned appellate judges filling in.

Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. By tradition since the 1947 state constitution, the seven member court maintains a political balance and is composed of four members of either the Democratic Party or Republican Party and three of the other. Justices initially serve for seven years after which they have customarily received tenure and are able to serve until the mandatory retirement age of seventy.

In what The New York Times called "a case of political overreach,"Editorial (December 16, 2010) The Politicization of a Respected Court, The New York Times Christie broke with this tradition in May 2010 when he chose not to renominate Justice John E. Wallace, Jr. and instead nominated attorney Anne M. Patterson. Christie said that he thought the court "had inappropriately encroached on both the executive and legislative function, and that if elected governor, I would take steps through the decisions I made regarding the court to bring back an appropriate constitutional balance to the court." New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney refused to consider any nominee to Wallace's seat.

Eventually Christie and Sweeney reached a deal in May 2011. When Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto announced he would step down when his term expired in September 2011 Christie nominated Patterson to replace him. The Senate unanimously confirmed Patterson on June 28, 2011, and she was sworn in on September 1, 2011.