By Melissa Hayes and John Reitmeyer, The Record (Hackensack, N.J.) –
TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie is taking his self-proclaimed “New Jersey Comeback” tour to prime time at the GOP convention, where close advisers and those who know him well say he can tell a national audience about confronting the hard issues here.
Presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign ended several weeks of speculation Tuesday when the Republican National Convention confirmed that Christie would deliver the coveted keynote address in Tampa, Fla., later this month.
Christie was on vacation Tuesday, but said in a statement he was honored to be giving the keynote, a role often given to up-and-coming politicians — and one that can propel them to higher office.
“The challenges we face as a country are great and require the honesty and boldness of the Romney-Ryan team,” Christie said. “We have an opportunity in Tampa to make clear that if we tell each other the hard truths, tackle the big problems, and make bold choices, we will see America’s comeback.”
Those close to the governor say he is likely to talk in his speech about the things Democrats and Republicans accomplished by working together in New Jersey. They say Christie has a lot to be proud of.
“I think the governor’s success here is about confronting hard issues and taking them on directly and speaking bluntly about them. I’m sure the delegates will want to hear about that,” close friend and adviser William Palatucci said.
But New Jersey Democrats say the “comeback” Christie is likely to portray in Tampa isn’t what it seems, given the state’s high unemployment and the national focus right now on jobs and the economy.
And the stakes for Christie’s “comeback” are more than just talk. He’s banking on a huge economic recovery to help fund a $2 billion spending increase in the new state budget.
Christie uses a series of anecdotes to make points at town hall-style events across the state and in speaking engagements in other states.
At the convention, he is expected to stress his work with Democrats to place a cap on local tax levy increases, change public employee benefits, restructure higher education and change the way teachers are awarded tenure.
And he usually isn’t afraid to criticize Washington, D.C., politicians, including members of his own party, for allowing partisanship to stand in the way of progress.
“I do think he will talk positively about the fact that you can achieve results if you’re willing to basically speak hard truths about the problems we face in the country,” said Michael DuHaime, a Republican strategist and top adviser to Christie who was recently hired by the Republican National Committee.
“He has shown a willingness to call out people on the problems we face in the state and as a result of that, people come together to find a way to work in a bipartisan way,” DuHaime said.
State Sen. Kevin O’Toole, R-Cedar Grove, said Christie can connect with both the Republican base and crucial independent voters because he’s genuine and unscripted.
“That’s where he has more credibility,” said O’Toole, who is Christie’s chief ally in the Legislature.
O’Toole said he thinks Christie can also highlight his own compelling personal story, which includes failing to gain a second term as a Morris County freeholder but coming back to become governor.
“I think he talks about a kid who was born in Newark and his successes,” O’Toole said. “He’s got an amazingly compelling story to tell.”
State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, R-Monmouth, said what Christie has accomplished in New Jersey should be a model for the rest of the country.
“Chris has the ability to take complicated issues and boil them down in a simple way and communicate tough assignments in a way that is interesting and colorful and inspiring at the same time,” said Kyrillos, Christie’s campaign chairman in 2009 and this year’s GOP challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez.
But Democrats dispute the narrative that Christie is likely to share at the convention.
“He’ll tell a national audience a fairy tale about New Jersey, giving himself credit for things he didn’t do and things that haven’t happened yet,” said Assemblyman John Wisniewski, chairman of the state Democratic Party.
A key to Christie’s “New Jersey Comeback” boast is that the state has added tens of thousands of private-sector jobs since he took office in 2010.
But under Christie’s leadership, New Jersey has also seen unemployment grow to 9.6 percent, the highest rate in the region. Connecticut and New York, with Democratic governors in charge, have also been adding thousands of private-sector jobs in recent months, and enjoy 8.1 and 8.9 percent unemployment rates, respectively.
Democrats in New Jersey have also poked holes in Christie’s narrative by pointing to a federal report that ranked New Jersey 47th out of the 50 states in terms of economic growth in 2011.
And Christie had to make last-minute budget changes this year after tax collections failed to meet original budget estimates for several months, and his rosy projections for the new budget year, which runs through June 2013, were also adjusted downward in May.
If the revenue projections don’t hold, the governor could be forced to make midyear spending cuts and Democrats will hold back the funding for the governor’s signature income tax cut.
“If Mitt Romney thinks Governor Christie’s record should be highlighted as a model for this country, Americans should be very worried,” Wisniewski said.
