Nov 4, 2009 2:06 pm US/Eastern
In One NJ Town, Christie Is Homegrown Fix
Residents In Mendham Have Faith New Republican Governor Will Help Solve Myriad Of Problems
Reporting
Jay Dow
MENDHAM, N.J. (CBS) ―
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Republican New Jersey Gubernatorial hopeful Chris Christie exits the polling station after casting his vote, Nov.3, 2009 in Mendham, New Jersey.
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
Hometown kid does good. They know Chris Christie well in Mendham, New Jersey. He eats breakfast at the local coffee shop and everyone seems to be confident he'll deliver on his campaign promises when he gets to Trenton.
"It may be the best thing that's happened to New Jersey since Governor Kean," said one very satisfied Mendham resident.
Christie rode to victory on that kind of Republican-borne aspiration. The 47-year-old former United States Attorney, who built his reputation with a steady diet of successful, high-profile corruption stings, took 49 percent of the vote over Democrat Jon Corzine.
"The suffocating taxes and a government that was out of control has rendered Trenton completely out of touch," said Christie late Tuesday night from Parsippany.
"We are going to pick up Trenton and we are going to turn it upside down."
Corzine said he called Christie just before 11 p.m. Tuesday "and congratulated him on becoming New Jersey's next governor." He pledged to work with Christie to ensure a smooth transition.
Facing an ailing ecoomy, a Democratic controlled state legislature and sky-high property taxes, Christie's job certainly won't be easy.
"It's going to be a tough ride for him," said Mendham resident Katherine Teti. "He's in a state where many people are leaving because of tax situations in my age group."
Corzine is only the third New Jersey governor in the last 60 years to lose after serving only one term.
Christie's win will likely be perceived as a big defeat for the White House. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had stumped for Corzine several times during the campaign, and they had hoped the result would speak positively to the job they are doing in Washington.
In New Jersey, 60 percent of voters said Obama was not a factor in their vote. For those voters who said Obama was a factor, 19 percent said their vote for governor was to support him, while 20 percent said it was to express opposition.
In all, 38 percent of Corzine voters said their vote for the incumbent was to express support for Obama, while 59 percent said Obama was not a factor.
Among Christie backers, 39 percent said their vote for governor was to oppose the president.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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