Rubio Campaign Press Release - Chris Christie's Record on Key Conservative Priorities Hasn't Been So Strong

January 14, 2016

Marco mentioned tonight that Governor Chris Christie's record on important conservative issues has been questionable.

Here are the facts:

Christie's record demonstrates "an adaptive politician whose positions have shifted, often to a remarkable degree, depending on the electorate he seeks to win over."

"Chris Christie portrays himself as a straight-talking governor who will, as his campaign bus says, 'tell it like it is,' whether you like it or not. He'll even yell at people to make his point at town halls, if that's what it takes. But the New Jersey chief executive's record during more than two decades in public life illustrates something else: an adaptive politician whose positions have shifted, often to a remarkable degree, depending on the electorate he seeks to win over." (The Boston Globe, 1/11/16)

National Review's Jim Geraghty "And his broader record of flip-flopping on conservative priorities is troubling." (NRO, Jim Geraghty, 1/7/16)

National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru: "Chris Christie Revises His Record."

"I find Christie's answers to these questions puzzling. It is hard to believe that he has genuinely forgotten his record on these issues: A presidential candidate, you would think, would have aides who would comb through his record, remind him of possible problems, and work with him on a strategy for handling them. On the other hand, it is also hard to believe that the strategy they came up with was: Let's just hope nobody has access to Google." (NRO, Ramesh Ponnuru, 1/11/16)

The Christie Flip-Flops:

ABORTION: Christie has shifted positions from supporting abortion rights to being pro-life.

"He supported abortion rights when he ran as a state senator in the early 1990s and said he made a financial contribution to Planned Parenthood. But in 1995, he heard his daughter's heartbeat during a prenatal 13-week appointment. He's been an abortion foe since." (The Boston Globe, 1/11/16)

COMMON CORE: "Christie was previously a supporter of the Common Core education standards."

"Mr. Christie was previously a supporter of the Common Core education standards. 'This is one of those areas where I've agreed more with the president than not,' he said in 2013. … Mr. Christie has since changed his position on Common Core, which has become an object of scorn among conservatives who view it as an example of government overreach. In May, Mr. Christie said that Common Core was 'simply not working.'" (The New York Times, 1/8/16)

IMMIGRATION: Hot Air: "Christie's adamant opposition to a path to citizenship … is, as far as I can tell, brand new."

"Incidentally, Christie's adamant opposition to a path to citizenship — no one who breaks our laws should be rewarded with an American passport, he intones — is, as far as I can tell, brand new. Back in 2010, when his star was rising on the right, he called for a 'common sense path to citizenship.' CNN asked him about that this past July and, amid some hedging about how illegals don't come here to vote, he stood by those earlier comments. Over the last few months in New Hampshire, he's been reiterating that people cross the border to work, not to become citizens, which I guess he was hoping would distract voters from pestering him about where he stands on citizenship." (Hot Air, 12/22/15)

MARRIAGE: "Christie has walked a tightrope on gay marriage." 

"Christie has walked a tightrope on gay marriage. He has maintained his opposition to same-sex marriages — and in 2013 vetoed legislation allowing them in New Jersey — but after the state Supreme Court legalized them, he eventually dropped an appeal. While he criticized the Supreme Court for legalizing gay marriage, he also criticized government employees for not issuing same-sex marriage licenses." (The Boston Globe, 1/11/16)

SECOND AMENDMENT: Christie "concedes that he shifted" on gun control.

"At a time when the Republican Party has been defending the rights of gun owners, Christie's opponents have been bringing up his past defense of New Jersey's ban on certain weapons. 'In today's society no one needs a semiautomatic assault weapon,' he said in 1993, according to the Star-Ledger. 'We already have too many firearms in our communities.' When confronted with the quote — which starkly contrasts the fight by many in the GOP to block attempts to tighten gun laws — Christie initially said he didn't recall saying it. He now concedes that he shifted." (The Boston Globe, 1/11/16)

SUPREME COURT: FactCheck.org: Christie's denial "contradicted" previous statement that he supported Sotomayor.

"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on CBS' 'Face the Nation' contradicted two of his previous statements, on Planned Parenthood and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor: … He said he 'didn't voice support for Sonia Sotomayor.' But in 2009, he said, 'I support her confirmation' and urged the Senate to confirm her, while noting that he wouldn't have nominated her." (FactCheck.org, 1/11/16)

TRADE: Christie "has waffled on whether to give Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a trade deal."

"And he has waffled on whether to give Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a trade deal. In December 2014, he was pushing for such authority, but five months later he said, 'I have real concerns about giving this president the ability to negotiate on his own.'" (The Boston Globe, 1/11/16)