Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has given the maximum contribution size possible to Governor Chris Christie‘s re-election campaign: $3,800. This donation comes at a time when the American Conservative Union has chosen not to invite Governor Christie to this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference.

The ACU did not invite Governor Christie to speak at this year’s CPAC because of his support for the Sandy bill, a piece of legislation that sent aid to the states ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. Christie is the governor of the state of New Jersey, a state that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy when the storm ripped through the northeast in October. ACU Chairman Al Cardenas considered the bill to be a mini stimulus package.

Romney, on the other hand, has been invited to speak at CPAC. Chairman Cardenas had this to say about Romney:

“The thousands gathered at CPAC this year are eager to hear from the 2012 GOP presidential candidate at his first public appearance since the elections. We look forward to hearing Governor Romney’s comments on the current state of affairs in America and the world, and his perspective on the future of the conservative movement.”

The conference will last from March 14 to March 16. This year’s event is the 40th annual gathering of conservative leaders and activists from around the country. It will take place at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD.

“I look forward to saying thank you to the many friends and supporters who were instrumental in helping my campaign,” said former Governor Romney said in an ACU press release.

This year’s speakers include former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Representative Cantor, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, and many others.

The ACU formed in 1964 after the defeat of Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater and identifies as the oldest and largest grassroots conservative organization in the nation. The organization is known for its annual ranking of politicians according to how well their voting record matches up with conservative ideals. Governor Christie has apparently broken from those ideals too often for the organization’s liking.

Romney supporters were upset by Governor Christie’s praise for President Barack Obama’s hurricane response. Many Republicans saw Christie’s remarks as an endorsement of President Obama in the final weeks of the campaign. Romney maintained that Governor Christie was simply doing his job as governor. Here is a clip of Governor Christie’s remarks to Fox News when asked if he was aware of the Romney campaign’s hurricane plans:

Governor Christie remains a popular presence inside the Republican Party. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will attend a fundraiser for Christie in Northern Virginia tonight hosted by Governor Bob McDonnell. Governor McDonnell actively opposes the Medicaid expansion that Governor Christie just endorsed two days ago. Republican cooperation with Governor Chris Christie, including support from Mitt Romney, hints at a possible break from ideological purity within the Republican ranks.

[Image via wbur.org]

Mitt Romney Makes Maximum Contribution To Governor Chris Christie’s Re-election Campaign is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced his support for the ‘Obamacare’ Medicaid expansion yesterday, making his state the latest state with a Republican governor to throw its weight behind part of President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement.

Governor’s Christie’s announcement comes after Florida Governor Rick Scott’s similar announcement last week. Ohio Governor John Kasich and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder both accepted the expansion in their states earlier this month. Altogether, Governor Christie is the eighth Republican governor to break from the party on this issue.

“We have an opportunity to ensure that an even greater number of New Jerseyans that are at or near the poverty line will have access to critical health services beginning in January of 2014,” Governor Christie said in his announcement.

The wave of gubernatorial support shows that the appeal of federal dollars is more enticing to state governments than the allure of Anti-Obama politics. The Washington Post reports that the federal government will spend an additional $800 billion on Medicaid as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to cover all people earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty line. States only have to put up $8 billion of their own money, thus drawing in far more money than they put out and a substantially larger amount of money than they bring in under the current Medicaid program.

“Expanding Medicaid will ensure New Jersey taxpayers that they will see their dollars maximized,” Governor Christie said. “Federal funding will cover 100 percent of the cost of this expansion for the first three years and then leveling off to 90 percent in 2020.”

The Governor continues to try to walk the small line between remaining popular in his party and maintain popularity in a heavily Democratic state.

“Let me also be clear, I am no fan of the Affordable Care Act,” Governor Christie said. “I think it’s wrong for New Jersey, and I think it’s wrong for America. I fought against it and believe in the long run it will not achieve what it promises. However, it is now the law of the land, and I will make all my judgments as Governor based on what I believe is best for New Jersey.”

The Affordable Care Act originally required that all 50 states expand Medicaid, but the Supreme Court made doing so optional in its ruling this June. Governor Chris Christie and other Republican governors have shown that even without a mandate, the expansion is enticing enough.

Governor Chris Christie Accepts ‘Obamacare’ Medicaid Expansion is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie toured through California this past week, passing through liberal strongholds to raise money for his re-election campaign.

Christie visited Beverly Hills on Sunday, kicking off his three day campaign trip through California. He visited a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel where over 30 people from the entertainment industry attended at $3,800 per ticket. The event was hosted by former Dick Clark Productions CEO Allen Shapiro and US Digital Gaming co-founder Richard Bronson. According to the New York Post, attendees included New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara, former Disney Executive Vice President Gary Wilson, and the Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Peter Guber.

Governor Chris Christie arrived in Silicon Valley on Tuesday where Mark Zuckerberg hosted a private fundraiser for Christie at his Palo Alto home. The Facebook CEO and billionaire supported President Obama during the last election. Zuckerberg, whose company was the first social media organization to receive a GLAAD award, has frustrated some Democrats by showing support for a Republican governor who struck down a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in this state.

According to BuzzFeed, some Democrats fear that Christie’s liberal northeastern state and national popularity masks his conservative record. Other Democrats appreciated Christie’s praising Obama’s leadership in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which many saw as an endorsement of the President that helped to sway undecided voters just days before the election.

Christie has called for gun control to be a part of the national discussion in the wake of the shooting in Newton, Connecticut. In addition, Newsmax reports that New Jersey has the second toughest gun control statues in the country. Christie did not enact these statutes, but he has not championed repealing them either. He has, however, opposed creating new gun sanctions, claiming that the current laws are sufficient.

Christie has to appeal to liberals if he hopes to remain Governor Chris Christie after New Jersey’s next election. While he does not want to lose the support of his party, his state went for Obama 58 percent to 41 percent in 2012, and this is a reality he cannot ignore.

Image via L.E.MORMILE / Shutterstock.com

Governor Chris Christie Garners Liberal Support is a post from: The Inquisitr

Friday morning, New York implemented a gasoline rationing plan that allows motorists to fill up every other day, as utility crews continue to make slow progress in getting power back to The Big Apple after Hurricane Sandy.

You’ll recall that we published an article last week regarding Governors Andrew Cuomo (NY) and Chris Christie (NJ) and how each are dealing with fuel shortages and energy crises in their respective states following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy.

Christie immediately went for gasoline rationing, allowing New Jersey residents to fill up every other day based on even/odd numbering in their license plate numbers. Cuomo opted to give away gasoline for free, though the plan caused long wait lines and quickly dwindling supply.

We wondered which stratagem would ultimately pay off, and though there are countless other factors between the states to consider, it seems as though Christie’s gas rationing plan emerges the winner as New York implemented a similar measure this morning.

“It’s a lot better,” said one Bronx native. “A couple of days ago I waited four hours. They should have done this a long time ago.”

The gas rationing has already reduced wait times for fuel to 15 minutes on average. Last week, New Yorkers waited for hours, with many returning home empty-handed.

“This is designed to let everybody have a fair chance, so the lines aren’t too oppressive and that we can get through this,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday.

Outages continue to be a problem, as many feel that the progress being made isn’t happening fast enough. Cuomo himself is joining some calls for investigation into the utilities, citing unpreparedness and poor management. “It’s unacceptable the longer it goes on because the longer it goes on, people’s suffering is worse,” he said.

New York City’s power company, Consolidated Edison, have said that the damage done by Sandy has been unprecedented in scope, and that they are doing the best they can to get power back on. Mayor Bloomberg and Chris Christie also praised the efforts of the utilities, with the latter saying that he expects New Jersey to be back on fully by Sunday.

Early Friday, there were more than 220,000 outages left in the New York area, mostly on Long Island, and about 250,000 in New Jersey.

New York Implements Gas Rationing As Per Chris Christie In New Jersey is a post from: The Inquisitr

Alabama utility workers maintain they were turned away from helping with the Hurricane Sandy relief effort because they are non-union. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is still looking into the situation and stated during a press conference on Friday afternoon that his state is willing to take and all help, regardless of unionization status.

The non-union utility crew was reportedly on the way to the Hurricane Sandy disaster scene when they were told they could not help. Governor Christie stated the Alabama crew was given “bad information” and a union requirement does not exist. He also noted he has spoken with all the power companies involved with the relief effort. Christie also assured the public that if such a requirement was in place, he would use his power as governor to override the policy, according to The Blaze.

One Blaze source allegedly stated the claims that non-union utility workers were turned away from the devastation in New Jersey was not true and Governor Christie was looking into who spread such a rumor. A second source interviewed later in the afternoon maintained the claims by Alabama workers probably were true and that Governor Christie was working to fix the matter.

A release issued by the Decatur Utilities and shared by WAFF-TV reads:

“Decatur Utilities sent a 6-man crew to the northeast Wednesday, October 31, bound for Seaside Heights, New Jersey, to assist with power restoration. Communications with Seaside Heights was poor due to lack of cell phone service in the area. Upon arriving at a staging area in Virginia, crews were held in place pending clarification of documents received from IBEW that implied a requirement of our employees to agree to union affiliation while working in the New York and New Jersey areas. It was and remains our understanding that agreeing to those requirements was a condition of being allowed to work in those areas.”

WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

Alabama Utility Crew Claims They Were Turned Away From Hurricane Sandy Cleanup Because They Are Non-Union is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he is willing to consider running for America’s highest office in 2016.  In order for that to happen Mitt Romney would have to lose the Presidential race this November.  The polls show Romney and Obama in a neck and neck position. The first-term Republican says he hopes fellow Mitt Romney beats President Barack Obama in November and seeks re-election in 2016.

during this year’s Republican primary, Christie was asked by many party faithful to run for President among widespread But then again if that is not how the race works out Christie said he is definitely “open” to the idea of throwing his hat in the ring for 2016.

Christie rebuffed an opportunity to seek the GOP nomination this year. Many thought it was because of his lack of experience that prevented him from throwing his hat in the ring for 2008.   He was asked Wednesday at a boardwalk stop in Ocean City about running for the top spot in the next election.

Christie told a Montclair paper,

“If there’s an opportunity for me to serve in another capacity and I think I have something to add to the mix, I don’t think I’d back away from it.”

Christie has been mentioned as a possible Republican convention keynote speaker.  he is loved by conservatives for his tax-cutting ways and for the way he aggressively went after New Jersey’s public employees.  Christie is expected to win his budget fight hands down this year also.  His budget proposals have some level of tax relief and ask teachers to pay a higher percentage of their health care and pensions.

Chris Christie Open To 2016 Presidential Run is a post from: The Inquisitr

The New Jersey State Senate has voted in favor of making New Jersey the 8th State in the United States to legalize same sex marriage.  The New Jersey State Assembly is expected to take up the measure for a vote soon.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to veto the measure.  He says he prefers putting the measure to a popular referendum.  Christie has indicated if the measure is put to the people for a vote and they vote in favor he will accept it.

New Jersey already has a system of civil unions for gay couples to wed.  Although the system promises gay couple all the rights and privileges of married couples.  The issue is that the system has not worked as promised.  Partners in civil unions are encouraged to carry powers of attorney or health care proxy statements so that the hospitals will honor their decisions and similar abuses have been well documented across the state.

Christie has vowed to veto the measure if passed by the assembly because he said that he believes that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.  The State Senate appears to be three votes shy of a veto proof majority.

Washington State voted today to also legalize gay marriage but their governor has promised to sign the legislation into law.  The Governor of Washington State has offered to discuss the issue with Christie to give him her perspective on the issue and how she came to her decision to sign the law.

Upon passing of the Senate vote, US Senator Frank Lautenberg had the following to say to NJ.com,

“I am proud that New Jersey’s State Senate has taken this important step toward providing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Marriage equality is one of the most significant civil rights battles of our time, and we cannot stand by while same-sex couples are treated as second class citizens in our state. It’s time to allow same-sex couples to marry and provide the same legal protections for all of New Jersey’s families.”

Do you think that Chris Christie should veto the bill allowing same sex marriage in New Jersey?

New Jersey Assembly To Vote On Same Sex Marriage is a post from: The Inquisitr