Christie Headlines Romney Event With GOP Governors

Ten Republican governors joined Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, for a rally and fundraiser in Colorado Thursday (August 3), but most of the attention seemed focused on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Romney gave Christie, who is often mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick, the last word at the rally notes The (Newark) Star-Ledger, which followed Christie west for the event. “Normally I’d start with him,” Romney said of Christie. “But he’s a big closer. He knows how to just nail any topic.”

The New Jersey governor criticized President Obama for his handling of the economy, reports The Denver Post. “The American people are tired of having a happy song sung to them. What the American people want is a leader who’s willing to lead,” Christie said. “The president of the United States has been like a man walking around in a dark room, looking for the light switch of leadership for the past four years.”

During his visit to Colorado, Christie was asked about his position on gun control, a raw topic in the state after the movie theater shootings in Aurora two weeks ago. Christie, a former federal prosecutor, said he backed tight restrictions on firearms for his state, but he criticized those who wanted more stringent national standards.

“I’m really repelled by the reaction to things that happened in this state,” Christie said, according to the Aspen Times, “and by politicians tripping over each other to take advantage of the tragedy, before people even had their funerals, and try to turn it into a political cause.”

While reporters focused their coverage on Christie, The Denver Post reported that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer got a standing ovation and the biggest applause of Romney’s guests. Since signing an anti-immigration law two years ago, Brewer has been unrelenting in her criticism of the Obama administration.

Other governors who appeared onstage with Romney, himself a former Massachusetts governor, included Romney’s one-time rival for the GOP nomination Rick Perry of Texas, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Nikki Haley of South Carolina.