It was Christie's first foray on the presidential campaign trail since he endorsed the former Massachusetts governor last month
Gov. Chris Christie meets with volunteers at a phone bank while campaigning for Former Massachusetts governor Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Manchester, New Hampshire Wednesday.NASHUA, N.H. — Gov. Chris Christie put Tuesday’s disappointing election results in his rearview mirror Wednesday and headed north to campaign for Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
While Romney was in Michigan preparing for Wednesday night’s presidential debate, Christie greeted campaign volunteers and spoke with supporters at the home of a prominent Republican in Nashua.
It was Christie’s first foray on the presidential campaign trail since he endorsed the former Massachusetts governor last month. And it was a chance for him to bask in the role of Republican superstar despite his party’s anemic showing in Tuesday’s legislative races.
In New Jersey, Democrats gained one seat in the state Assembly for a 48-32 edge, and maintained a 24-16 hold on the Senate; in doing so, they beat back strong Republican challenges in Bergen and Atlantic counties.
Still, Christie was in fine spirits as he mingled at Romney’s headquarters here. The sleepy office, sandwiched between a music store and a chocolate shop, came alive with volunteers as Christie arrived.
One volunteer told Christie, "I’m so impressed to meet you!"
Christie replied: "I’m going to bring you back to New Jersey! We need some help down there."
In Nashua, the governor appeared at a house party hosted by a former state Republican chairman, John Stabile, a Romney backer.
Romney has campaigned heavily in New Hampshire, which will hold the country’s second nominating contest on Jan. 10. Although Herman Cain, a former Godfather’s Pizza executive, shot to the front of the Republican pack, he has been dogged by accusations of sexual harassment, and Romney is widely viewed as the front-runner for the nomination.
Christie’s early endorsement in October, a week after he said he would not seek the presidency, was seen as a boost to Romney’s chances.
Many Republicans have been slow to warm to Romney, who is viewed by some as a person who often changes positions to fit circumstances in a party that has increasingly embraced conservative dogma. But Christie predicted the party would rally behind Romney in the coming months.
"He’s the guy who’s going to be the adult, the grownup on stage, who is going to give the well-thought out answers and put forward the good plan," Christie said on a New Hampshire radio show.
And in an appearance in Sussex County before coming here, Christie said it will become "clearer and clearer that Gov. Romney is the strongest candidate for the Republican Party to take on President Obama."
Christie said his responsibilities in Trenton would limit his appearances on the campaign trail to one or two a month. He is scheduled to appear in Florida later this month and in Iowa next month. In addition, he will go to California next week to talk with a Facebook executive on the issues he has dealt with in office.
He played down the results of Tuesday’s election, blaming Republican losses on a new state legislative map that continues to favor Democrats. "There were no competitive races last night — none," Christie insisted.
Nonetheless, the inability of Republicans to gain any seats despite a boast that they would make history gave Democrats an opening.
"Romney and Christie support policies that would do nothing to increase economic security of middle-class Granite State families," said Ray Buckley, New Hampshire Democratic chairman. "Granite State voters will reject those out-of-touch policies, just like voters across the country rejected similar far-right policies in (Wednesday) night’s elections."
Christie then traveled to Boston to watch the latest Republican debate at Romney’s national campaign headquarters. And he had a piece of advice for the candidate: "Be yourself tonight."
He said that after the debate he planned to return home because lawmakers would be in Trenton today. "I cannot allow them in the Statehouse without adult supervision," he said.
Staff writers Matt Friedman and Seth Augenstein contributed to this report.