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Monday, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie provided a keynote address to attendees at NAFCU’s 2022 Congressional Caucus. Christie focused his remarks on the state of politics in the United States ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, which will be held on November 8, 2022.

Introduced by NAFCU’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Greg Mesack, Christie honed in on his previous experience as Governor and his time in National politics over the years.

Following Sunday’s 21^st anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Christie opened his remarks discussing his own experience from that day and reminded attendees to never forget the importance of our Nation’s safety and security. Christie then moved on to discuss the current state of politics across the country, noting key races in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the 36 of 50 governorships up for grabs in November.

The overarching theme of Christie’s commentary focused on the need to change the rhetoric of politicians in Washington and the Republican party’s potential to flip the House and Senate. In discussing his alignment with the Republican party, Christie noted, “Absent something crazy happening in the next 58 days, we’re not going to disrupt the House (changing)… it would seem hard for us to mess this up.”

When discussing the Senate, and key races in Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania as current toss-ups, Christie reminded attendees that both the environment surrounding races and money are important. However, he stated that, “The candidate is the most important aspect of any particular election. People forget that, and where you’re going to see that come into play most starkly is in races for the United States Senate.” 

Focusing on this year’s Governors races, Christie emphasized the heightened importance of candidates, stating, “What we learned from COVID is that who your governor is matters. If there’s a crisis, your governor matters because they will be making the decisions, not the federal government.” 

Projecting beyond the 2022 midterm elections, Christie discussed the prospects of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump running in the 2024 Presidential elections. While noting he hasn’t ruled out another potential run, Christie refrained from discussing additional possible candidates. However, Christie noted the internal fights he anticipates within both the Republican and Democrat parties as the American people choose their respective nominees.

Christie concluded his remarks highlighting the importance of our Nation’s Founding Fathers, naming John Adams as his favorite because he successfully fought day after day for our Independence, understanding his integrity was more important than any political career. Christie ended, “Let’s be inspired by the example they set for us, but also for the opportunity they still give us today in the freest country we’ve ever known.”

Following his keynote remarks, Christie sat down for a question-and-answer session with NAFCU’s President and CEO Dan Berger. The discussion highlighted the importance of relationships and trust among leaders in Washington. Additionally, Christie and Berger discussed what our current leaders can do to reach minority communities across the country, with a focus on economic prosperity.

NAFCU’s Congressional Caucus is currently being held in-person through Wednesday; view the agenda here. Follow along on Twitter with #NAFCUCaucus for live event updates.