Elections

Chris Christie: ‘Not even my ego’s that big’ to believe absence from PA rally will affect election

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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At a press conference Tuesday, New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie said he voted for Mitt Romney and denied reports that he turned down an invite from the Romney campaign to speak at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

“The idea of me not showing up at a rally in Pennsylvania that I wasn’t invited to would have an effect on a national election — as big as my ego is, not even my ego’s that big,” he said.

“They’re voting for Gov. Romney today and Paul Ryan — or not — not for me. So, you know, staffers will be staffers. And all of us who’ve been principals and who’ve been all the ballot know that only we know what it’s like to be on the ballot.”

On Monday, a Romney staffer told the Huffington Post that Christie had turned down a request from Team Romney to participate in a Sunday night campaign rally in Morrisville, Pa., which is just 2o minutes away from the governor’s residence in Trenton, N.J.

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Christie said he talked with Romney while Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey, and “Romney gave me a pass for the rest of the campaign because he understands what it is like to be a governor and have to deal with this stuff.”

New Jersey was ravaged by the storm.

“I very proudly went into the voting booth and voted for him this morning, and I am confident that he’s going to be elected president of the United States tonight,” Christie added.

Christie has been under fire from some conservatives for effusively praising President Barack Obama’s leadership in the aftermath of the storm.

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Jamie Weinstein