New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Wednesday said he was disappointed by Mitt Romney's loss and rebuffed suggestions that his praise for President Obama’s handling of Hurricane Sandy contributed to the GOP nominee's defeat.
"My job is to do my job and that’s my most important thing. And I did my job every day, and I think as a supporter of Gov. Romney I did my job there too," said Christie, who spoke with reporters at an event with emergency workers aiding in the recovery from Sandy.
"I wouldn’t call what I did an embrace of Barack Obama. I know that’s become the wording of it, but the fact of the matter is, you know, I’m a guy who tells the truth all the time. And if the president of the United States did something good, I was gonna say he did something good and give him credit for it," added Christie. "It doesn’t take away for a minute from the fact that I was the first governor to endorse Mitt Romney, that I traveled literally tens of thousands of miles for him, raised tens of millions of dollars for him and worked harder, I think, than any other surrogate in America other than [Rep.] Paul Ryan [R-Wis.], who became his running mate."
Christie had offered strong praise for the president in the aftermath of the super-storm, thanking Obama for marshaling federal resources and touring devastated areas with the president.
The move, though, brought criticism from some Republicans who feared Christie had boosted the president's standing publicly. Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) suggested that the storm had broken momentum for Romney as the presidential candidates were briefly forced off the campaign trail.
On Tuesday, Christie had criticized "know-nothing, disgruntled" Romney staffers, whom he blamed for reports suggesting that he had turned down requests to campaign with the GOP nominee in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Christie said he told Romney earlier that he would not participate in further campaign events if Sandy hit New Jersey.
On Wednesday, Christie said Republicans needed to begin "looking forward."
"I’m going to continue to work with folks like the Republican governors I work with across the country, to try to make sure that our perspective and our philosophy and our point of view and our record of accomplishment is highlighted for the public," he said.
Christie flirted with the idea of launching his own presidential bid earlier this year, before eventually endorsing Romney and joining him at events on the campaign trail. He also delivered the keynote address at the GOP convention in Tampa, Fla.
