Already one of the country’s most unpopular governors, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie faced a new backlash Monday after vacationing with his family over the weekend on a state-owned beach that had been closed by a budget impasse.
Photos of the governor and his family, all alone on a beautiful stretch of Island Beach State Park, raced across the internet and dominated cable news shows, with even fellow Republicans saying the governor made a serious error that could damage his budget fight with the state legislature.
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who is running to replace Mr. Christie this November, called the behavior “beyond words.”
“If I were governor, I sure wouldn’t be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didn’t have access to state beaches,” Ms. Guadagno stated in a Facebook post.
Lawmakers failed to deliver a budget to Mr. Christie by Friday’s deadline, forcing him to close nonemergency services, including those required to keep state beaches and parks running.
Mr. Christie ordered lawmakers return to the statehouse Sunday to try and resolve the battle, and when asked about reports that he was at the closed beach vacationing with his family, he responded that he “didn’t get any sun.”
Photos of the governor wearing a T-shirt, swim trunks and a baseball cap sprawled in a lawn chair in the bright sun seemed to challenge his statement.
His spokesman later told New Jersey Advance Media that because the governor had on a cap, he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t “get any sun.”
Mr. Christie, meanwhile, reacted to the photos with bemusement.
“They actually caught a politician being where he said he was going to be with the people he said he was going to be with, his wife and children and their friends,” Mr. Christie said in a phone interview with a local television station, adding, “I am sure they will get a Pulitzer for this one.”
Mr. Christie and his spokesman explained that the residence provided to the governor happens to be located on a state beach that was closed, but the family was not requesting any state-run services like garbage pickup or lifeguards, and therefore the governor did not see a reason to cancel the vacation.
Mr. Christie’s spokesman Brian Murray also said that while state-run beaches were closed, there were other options for the holiday weekend.
“The residence is for the governor to use whenever the governor wants to use it. And again, all the other municipal beaches, private beaches from the south to the north of New Jersey are open, so the public has many places to go,” Mr. Murray said on CNN.
“This was closed because of the current failure of the legislature to get a budget for the governor to sign. If we can get a budget, he’ll sign it and we can reopen the park and we can open the beaches,” Mr. Murray said.
Mr. Christie tweeted a picture of the New Jersey coastline Monday, saying that over 100 miles of beaches were still open to the public.
“NJ beaches are open in 119 of our 130 miles of coastline. Come and enjoy them — but use sunscreen and hydrate!” Mr. Christie tweeted.
Mr. Christie plans to finish his vacation with his family while reaching for an agreement with the state legislature.
The governor is currently one of the least popular in the country, with a 15 percent approval rating in the latest Quinnipiac University Poll, the lowest of any governor in New Jersey history.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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