Presidential candidates are campaigning harder than ever with the Iowa caucuses just around the corner – and their political rivals are jumping on the opportunity to point out faults in their talking points.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been touting his conservative accomplishments during recent TV appearances, but his competitors for the GOP nomination have called into question whether the gruff politician has practiced what he’s preached.
“Chris Christie just can’t be trusted to keep his word. After breaking his promise on property taxes, nine credit downgrades, and years of fiscal mismanagement, his record in New Jersey is anything but conservative,” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush spokesman Matt Gorman told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The former U.S. attorney in New Jersey said he believes he’s more capable of achieving Republican policy goals than others vying for the White House.
“It’s not enough to just express anger – we must also elect someone who knows how to get things done,” he said during an appearance on CNN.
During Christie’s 2009 gubernatorial race, he promised to reduce income taxes across the board, bring down the corporate rate, eliminate double taxation and slash property taxes. But according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based research group, New Jersey had the highest property taxes in the country in 2015 at 2.38 percent – a 19 percent increase in the wake of his cuts to the Property Tax Rebate Program.
“Some states with high property taxes, like New Hampshire and Texas, rely heavily on property taxes in lieu of other major tax categories; others, like New Jersey and Illinois, impose high property taxes alongside high rates in the other major tax categories,” the nonprofit wrote in its study.
The state’s income tax rate also ranks among the highest in the nation coming in at sixth, with the top rate hovering at 8.97 percent. New Jersey comes in fifth in terms of highest marginal capital gains.
The Bush camp is not the only one to take aim at the New Jersey governor. Florida Sen. [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore] hammered the candidate over several issues – including his alleged support of Common Core, gun control and the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor – during the Jan. 14 GOP debate hosted by Fox Business Network. Christie rebuffed the attacks, saying they were unwarranted.
The Christie campaign could not be reached for comment.
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