New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) may have cost his state’s taxpayers more than $1 million for travel mostly done to campaign for president, according to a WNYC analysis.
A Wall Street Journal calculation of Christie administration figures found that the GOP contender spent all or part of 261 days out of the state in 2015 -- mostly on trips campaigning for the 2016 presidential nomination.
WNYC estimates that if Christie’s per diem travel expenses were the same as in 2014 -- a year in which Christie’s less arduous travel schedule cost taxpayers $492,420 according to documents obtained by NJ Watchdog -- then his trips cost taxpayers over $1 million.
Campaign trips for a sitting governor like Christie are especially costly, WNYC notes, because they require the use of state troopers to protect Christie for extended periods of time in the field, which presumably requires the incursion of overtime rates.
The governor’s office did not confirm the use of overtime for state troopers accompanying Christie on campaign trips or respond to additional requests for comment from WNYC on how taxpayer funds are being used for the governor's campaign-related travel. An aide said he could not comment due to a forthcoming lawsuit from liberal groups accusing Christie of financial wrongdoing.
WNYC also cited a Monmouth University poll that found that just 1 percent of New Jersey residents approve of using taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes.
The issue of Christie’s absence from the state has prompted criticism from Democratic lawmakers and local newspaper editorial boards, the Wall Street Journal notes.
Christie’s use of taxpayer dollars has drawn controversy in the past. A May report by NJ Watchdog found that he had used his expense account to spend $300,000 on food and alcohol during his time as governor, including over $82,000 on concessions at Giants and Jets games alone.
It is unclear whether the news will affect Christie’s rising standing in the Republican presidential primary polls.
Christie’s obsessive focus on New Hampshire appears to be yielding results. The governor now enjoys the support of 11 percent of Republicans in the Granite State, according to a polling average by HuffPost Pollster.
Christie’s rise in the polls advances him to fourth place in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, behind Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. The last poll gauging Christie’s numbers, however, is from Dec. 22, 2015.
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