New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) reached across the aisle Friday and gave credit to the Obama administration for its work on education, calling U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan a "breath of fresh air."
"I have a lot of agreement with the president and Arne Duncan on these education issues, and I've said it publicly many times," said Christie on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday, during a special on education at a high school in New Jersey.
Christie told MSNBC that there is "no question" he views Duncan as a federal partner on education reform.
"I think Secretary Duncan has been an enormous breath of fresh air in the education system. He says it like it is. I don't agree with every single thing, nor does he agree with me on every single thing, but we found enormous common ground to work with," Christie said.
Christie, who endorsed GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney last October, said Obama "deserves credit" for federal-level education reforms and for appointing Duncan.
"Certainly, Arne's not out there freelancing, so the president allows him to do the things he's doing," he said.
The New Jersey governor, known for his brash style of politics, said he doesn't believe education is a partisan issue and emphasized the need to work across party lines to reform the system.
