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TRENTON -- The latest poll in the race to succeed Chris Christie as New Jersey's governor shows Democratic nominee Phil Murphy with a commanding 27-point lead over Republican nominee Kim Guadagno -- though a majority of voters continue to say they don't know much about either candidate. The Monmouth University Poll, released Wednesday, found 53 percent of Garden State voters would choose Murphy, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany, while 26 percent would pick Guadagno, the state's lieutenant governor.

A political line has been drawn in the sand this summer, with the governors of Connecticut and New Jersey taking opposite sides on whether to keep state beaches open during a budget impasse — and throwing shade at each other. Connecticut still has no budget agreement, but Democrat Dannel P. Malloy signed an executive order last week to avert a government shutdown and keep state beaches and parks open for now. Contrast that with Republican Chris Christie, who basked in the sunshine with his family at a New Jersey state beach over the weekend that was closed to the public...

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie, by his own admission, entered lame-duck territory on Tuesday, signing his final budget after a bruising three-day state government shutdown that included a viral photo of him lounging on a state beach that was closed to the public because of a budget impasse. The two-term Republican governor signed the $34.7 billion budget early Tuesday and sounded an unapologetic tone over the aerial photos snapped by NJ.com that showed him at the state governor’s residence at Island Beach State Park. The pictures sparked a global reaction: countless memes featuring a Photoshopped cutout of Christie...

Full Title..............................Six families who own cottages next to Chris Christie's private beach were ordered to leave their homes under threat of ARREST while the governor lounged in the sun............................. Six families who own cottages next to Chris Christie's private beach were ordered to leave their homes Friday The families said they faced being arrested if they didn't leave their properties at Island Beach State Park But the New Jersey governor didn't seem to mind as he was pictured soaking up some sun on the beach Christie brushed off criticism after he was caught using state park over weekend, despite closing...

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP -- People hoping to visit Island Beach State Park this holiday weekend were not allowed in because of the state government shutdown Gov. Chris Christie ordered amid the state budget standoff in Trenton. But there was one family there: Christie's. They are using the summer beach house provided by the state for a weekend down the Shore. And here are exclusive aerial photos by NJ Advance Media showing Christie surrounded by wife, Mary Pat Christie, and others. (You can open the photo gallery here to see all the photos.)

TRENTON, N.J. -- The budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature smoldered on Monday with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public - but not to Christie and his family - as the Fourth of July approaches. Christie, who spent part of Sunday lounging with his family at a beach in a state park he had ordered closed, said he would sign any budget lawmakers sent to him and blamed the shutdown of nonessential services, including motor vehicle offices, on Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto. "I'm a little frustrated, quite frankly,...

New Jerseyans were feeling the impact as a state government shutdown took effect Saturday, shuttering parks and other public sites and disrupting ferry service to Liberty and Ellis islands. Among those affected were a group of Cub Scouts forced to leave a state park campsite and people trying to obtain or renew documents from the state motor vehicle commission, among the agencies closed by the shutdown. Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-led Legislature planned to return to work Saturday to try to resolve the shutdown, the state’s first since 2006 and the first under Christie. It came about...

TRENTON -- State parks could close ahead of the July 4 holiday because of budget gridlock at the Statehouse, Gov. Chris Christie warned Thursday evening. In a hastily called news conference, the governor mentioned that many families are planning to go to state parks this weekend as he railed against Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, who he accused of reneging on a bipartisan budget agreement. The impasse threatens to shut down the government for the first time since 2006 unless a budget is signed by midnight on Friday. "If Speaker Prieto wants to close the government, this is going to be...

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — The Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey sat on a plush beige couch in the Republican mayor’s condo, surrounded by Republican county officials and politicians, and offered up her plan to stem what is perhaps the state’s most daunting challenge — its deepening property tax crisis. She adopted it, she said, from an unexpected source. “This is a page out of the Democratic playbook, it really is,” Kim Guadagno, the lieutenant governor said, noting that the plan came from a proposal in deep-blue Illinois. With Republicans controlling the White House, both chambers of Congress and having...

What happens if a state with a population roughly equal to that of Kentucky and Louisiana combined held a major election and no one noticed? That seems to be occurring in New Jersey, which is electing a new governor this year. It may be the Democrats’ biggest gubernatorial win in the state in over 40 years. A Democratic romp in a state Hillary Clinton won easily might not seem like a surprising result. But New Jersey usually features competitive governor’s races. Over the past 40 years, Democrats have won the governor’s mansion four times to Republicans’ six. New Jersey’s current...

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie touted New Jersey employment gains on Monday during a Statehouse news conference at which he also warned voters to choose his successor carefully or risk undoing the economic progress made during his nearly eight-year tenure. The hourlong news conference was Christie's last in the governor's outer office, as he and his staff are expected to move to temporary offices nearby on State Street while the executive branch of the Statehouse undergoes about $300 million in renovations.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has about eight months left in office but the Republicans running to succeed him in the primary all but bid him farewell in Thursday's second and final debate. Asked why she doesn't mention the twice-elected, term-limited Christie on her campaign website or at events, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno answered bluntly. "I'm running for governor, the governor's not."

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie conditionally vetoed legislation Thursday that would have banned all underage marriage in New Jersey. The bill aimed to change current New Jersey law, which permits 16- and 17-year-olds to get married with parental consent and those under the age of 16 to marry with the approval of a family court judge. A republican sponsored the bill, but Christie stood in opposition, citing religious freedom and noting the age of consent in New Jersey is 16, reports Politico. Unchained At Last, a non-profit group that seeks to help women in arranged and forced marriages, estimates there...

TRENTON -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli on Monday survived an attempt by rival Kim Guadagno to knock him off the GOP primary ballot. Supporters of Guadagno, New Jersey's lieutenant governor, filed a complaint that questioned the validity of more than 700 petition signatures Ciattarelli had handed in to qualify for the June 6 primary for the GOP nod to succeed Gov. Chris Christie, who is in his final year in office. But an administrative law judge on Monday threw out only about 180 of those signatures, which wasn't enough to boot Ciattarelli, a member of the state Assembly from...

TRENTON -- Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the early Republican front-runner for governor, told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday she would slash New Jersey's notoriously high property taxes by up to $3,000 a year for homeowners who pay more than 5 percent of their household income on school taxes. Guadagno said her proposal -- which she plans to officially roll out Wednesday morning -- would cut property taxes by $1.5 billion annually across New Jersey and aims to benefit those "who need property tax relief the most," such as younger residents, middle-class families, and senior citizens. "It's the kind of plan...

By all accounts, Jared Kushner, the husband of President Trump's favorite daughter, has become an extraordinarily powerful man in the White House. To formally appoint Kushner a senior adviser, with a top security clearance, the president sought and received a Justice Department opinion declaring the White House exempt from federal anti-nepotism laws. That meant Kushner could have an official White House title to go along with his trusted-member-of-the-family influence. But Kushner wielded plenty of power before joining the White House staff. For one thing, he is thought to have been behind the purging of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie from...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is also an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, believes New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is lying about his role in an alleged memorabilia scandal. Serving as a guest host on Friday's Boomer & Carton radio show for WFAN, Christie spoke about Manning's situation by calling him a "liar" and "he got caught," per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Kaja Whitehouse and Bruce Golding of the New York Post reported Manning was involved in a scheme selling fake game-used memorabilia, with court documents showing the Giants quarterback sent an email to equipment...

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is the most unpopular governor in the United States, a new poll finds. Seventy-one percent of New Jersey votes disapprove of Christie while just 25 percent approve, according to the Morning Consult poll released Tuesday. Christie edged out Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) as the nation’s least popular. Brownback had a 66 percent disapproval to 27 percent approval, the poll found. […] On the flip side, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) was rated the most popular governor, with 75 percent approval to 17 percent disapproval. Following Baker on the list were Maryland Gov. Larry...

Two former cronies of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were sentenced to prison Wednesday for the politically motivated closure of traffic lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge that has come to be known as “Bridgegate.” Former Port Authority exec Bill Baroni was sentenced to two years in ​prison​ and ex-Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly to 18 months behind bars by a federal judge in Newark.

President Donald Trump is tapping GOP New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to lead the administration’s efforts to combat rampant opioid addiction and heroin abuse nationwide. Christie’s position is reportedly part of the White House Office of American Innovation, a new initiative led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner that is being described as a “SWAT team” of business leaders that will tackle a range of government failings. An anonymous White House spokesman said Monday the announcement is expected this week, after The Washington Post broke the development Sunday evening, reports The Associated Press.