By Taylor Fetty and Maria Gonzalez
Hundred, WV and Mattawa, WA

Residents of Princeton, N.J., expressed frustrations about Gov. Chris Christie on a recent evening, saying his failed presidential campaign and support of Republican nominee Donald Trump distracted him from the affairs of his home state.

Elected as a Republican in a Democratic state, Christie was initially popular because of his brash and candid style, but voters said they started to lose faith in him after “Bridgegate,” a high-profile political scandal involving the George Washington Bridge in 2013. “He is extremely short-sighted and self-serving,” said Michael, 73, a professor at Princeton University who declined to give his last name due to his position at the University, citing the scandal in which Christie’s aides deliberately caused traffic with lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to punish one of Christie’s political opponents. 

Alex Robson, 19, a newly naturalized citizen living in New Jersey, cited the same case.

“Christie lost a lot of credibility and that had a terrible effect on everyone’s stance on him,” he said.

Some citizens believed that Christie supported Trump to advance his own career. “It was obvious that Christie was going to lose in the presidential election and he tried to go to Trump to get more of an advantage,” Robson said.

A 53-year-old teacher who chose to remain anonymous due to her job also agreed.

“I’m not a Chris Christie supporter,” she said. “He makes New Jersey look like the worst state in America.

“At one point, I believed in him,” she continued. “But I know now that I was naive.”

Despite their low opinion of Christie’s motives for endorsing Trump, Princeton citizens did not believe that it would make a big difference in the election. Robson said he thought Christie’s endorsement would only affect New Jersey citizens and have no impact on the national opinion.