Christie 'Extraordinarily Disappointed' Over Election Outcome, But Says Time To Move Forward
HARVEY CEDARS, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he is "extraordinarily disappointed" that Mitt Romney lost the presidential election to President Barack Obama but said "that's the way it goes."
Christie made the remarks Wednesday during a news conference in Harvey Cedars.
He said he put a lot of time and effort into the Romney campaign and was surprised Obama was projected as the winner so soon after the polls had closed.
"I was surprised that it ended as quickly as it did," he said. "People decide elections and so my job as an elected official is to move forward after that. I'm not going to spend a lot of time looking into my rear-view mirror."
When asked why he thought Romney lost, Christie quipped "He didn't get enough votes," adding "I don't go into that kind of analysis. I'm not a pundit. I'm an office holder."
Asked if his praise for Obama's response to Superstorm Sandy had any influence on the outcome of the election, Christie said, "I'm a guy who tells the truth all the time. If the president of the United States did something good, I was going to say he did something good and give him credit for it. It doesn't take away for a minute the fact that I was the first governor in America 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 than any other surrogate in America other than Paul Ryan."
Of Romney, Christie said "He knows I am sorry it didn't work out," adding he hopes Romney "continues to be a voice in public life in our country."
"I've never run for president so I can't imagine after putting in the kind of effort that Governor Romney's put in over the years to run for president how badly it hurts this morning for him to have come up short," Christie said.
As to his future, Christie suggested he was focused on the present.
"I'm going to do the job I have now as best I can -- do first thing's first -- and my future, whatever it is, will take of itself," he said. "I'm honored to be the governor of New Jersey. That's all I'm worried about right now. With the stuff that I've been dealing with for the past eight or nine days... politics becomes much smaller when you're dealing with life or death issues."
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