The Governor said in a press conference Thursday he felt 'a little tired' but 'fine,' and he intends to head back to work today. Watch video
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie had a serious asthma attack Thursday — enough to land him in hospital for a few hours and more than enough to send seismic waves of concern through New Jersey, not to mention the Republican party, where he is the No. 1 star who isn’t running for president — so far.
But the 48-year-old governor, who has long struggled with his weight while also dealing with a chronic asthma problem kept at bay with a rescue inhaler, insisted he was okay.
"I feel great now. A little tired, but other than tired, fine," he said after he was released from the hospital early last evening.
His brief hospitalization at the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, though, immediately sparked new questions about the health of the tough-talking governor, while quickly becoming a national political story amid continuing speculation Christie — who spent last week in Iowa — may yet become a major player in the race for president.
Dozens of camera crews and members of the national media quickly arrived to stake out the hospital, where Christie spent most of the day undergoing tests.
"I don’t want any of you or anybody in the state to be concerned about me," the governor said after emerging at 6:30 p.m. to return home. "I’m fine, I feel fine."
At the same time, he expressed surprise the episode generated so much interest. "I didn’t think it would be national news," he said.
Christie said he woke up Thursday "not feeling great," but decided to go ahead to a planned bill signing ceremony in Hillsborough anyway. As they got closer, he said, he began feeling light headed even after using the rescue inhaler.
"It didn’t give me the kind of release I normally get," he said.
He said he spoke to the state troopers who were driving him to the event and they all decided "they should get me some place quickly."
It was the first time in more than 20 years he had to be hospitalized for an asthma attack, he said.
"The first thing I thought about was my kids, when you have four kids you don’t take chances," he said.
Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the governor, said Christie continued to stay in touch with his office after he arrived at the hospital and there had never been a consideration to transfer power to Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who did not leave the Statehouse.
"He was never incapacitated, has been alert throughout and is in contact with senior staff from the hospital," Drewniak said.
Christie has suffered from asthma since he was a teen. At town hall events, the governor often tells audiences he uses an rescue inhaler to treat asthma attacks.
After leaving the hospital, Christie again acknowledged having trouble keeping down his weight, which was the subject of controversial campaign ads during the 2009 governor’s race against the incumbent Democrat, Jon Corzine. More recently, he has said he was working with a personal trainer in an effort to reduce weight.
But, he said, his weight was not what set off his asthma Thursday, attributing it to the heat and humidity of recent days.
"Despite the well chronicled issues of my weight, I’ve been healthy by the normal indicators," he said.
By early afternoon, Christie’s wife, Mary Pat, exited the hospital, climbing into the gold-colored SUV regularly used by State Police to transport her, to attend youngest son Patrick’s baseball game.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who angrily lashed out at the governor recently in the wake of more than $1 billion in budget cuts, called Christie and wished him well, along with his quick return to the Statehouse.
"Politics goes out the door at a time like this," Sweeney said.
Christie is the fourth consecutive governor to be hospitalized while in office. Corzine almost died, spending 18 days in the hospital after suffering 15 broken bones in a high-speed traffic accident.
Christie’s brief stay in the hospital was far less eventful, but the ongoing talk of whether he will run for president, or join next year’s campaign on as a candidate for vice president on someone’s ticket, brought out the national media in force.
Earlier this year, Christie had tried to shut down speculation he planned a run for the White House, asking, "What do I have to do short of suicide to convince people I’m not running?"
Apparently an asthma attack fell short of the mark.
Gov. Chris Christie talks to the media after being discharged from Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, after being brought to the ER Thursday after suffering from shortness of breath. As word spread Christie had been hospitalized, national TV crews and other media began arriving, with the quiet suburban residential streets surrounding the hospital quickly lined with humming television trucks, including those from CNN, Fox News, local New York stations and Telemundo, a national Spanish language station.
By the time Christie left the hospital to answer questions, there were 17 television satellite trucks parked around the hospital and nearly 20 cameras set up in front of the emergency room entrance.
Christie seemed to relish the press conference, looking tanned and healthy as he joked with reporters about everything from his weight to the lackluster performance of the Mets, which he watched from hospital room. He even quipped about his own demise, saying he was trying to send "signals" to reporters through the day that he was okay.
"I think you all got the tip I was okay when Mary Pat left, either fine or dead and you would have heard about the latter," the governor said.
At the same time, Christie said he didn’t think his trip to the hospital should cast doubt about his ability to hold office — even, he said, the presidency. He pointed out that he keeps an "aggressive schedule" and has had no problems in two high-stress jobs as governor and former U.S. Attorney.
"I have a pretty ambitious schedule that I hold to every day," he said.
And despite his constant efforts to tamp down the talk he might enter the 2012 race, he said his asthma would not be a determining factor.
"If I decided I wanted to run for president, I think you know me," he said. "I would do it."
By: Ginger Gibson and Ted Sherman/The Star-Ledger