New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie will give his second inaugural address today at 11:30 a.m. in Trenton, N.J., after winning a landslide election over Democratic State Senator Barbara Buono last year.
Judging from the portions of Christie's speech released by his office, the governor will not address the slew of scandals that have recently beset his administration. He will instead focus on bipartisanship, education and immigration reform, and will deliver his message in softer rhetoric than what the public is accustomed to from the brash Garden State governor.
See also: Christie's Camp vs. Hoboken Mayor: Untangling the Latest Scandal
Though it seems like a long time ago now, it was only last November when Christie dominated the race for his second term, garnering 60% of the vote. Not only that, but he won with bipartisan support, a rarity in America's current divisive political climate and an indication that he was the best hope for Republicans to take the White House in 2016.
But those looking-to-the-future headlines faded abruptly when news broke on Jan. 8 that one of the governor's top aides as well as some of his appointees at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had orchestrated a massive traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J., allegedly as part of a political revenge plot against the borough's mayor. The New Jersey State Assembly formed a committee to further dig into the matter. Since then, other mayors have come out to allege similar treatment. The governor and his team are also under federal investigation for possibly misusing funds meant to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Christie's second term is clearly not off to a good start, but he has so far been directly linked to none of the allegations, a fact that may allow him to move forward with his agenda for New Jersey and his personal political goals. Today's speech seems designed to do just that.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images News