Christie says he would respect voters if they approved gay marriage. Christie discusses gay marriage

Republican Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday that if one of his four children came out as gay, he would “grab them and hug them and tell them I love them.”

He would also tell them “that Dad believes that marriage is between one man and one woman,” he said.


The New Jersey governor’s comments came in a debate at Montclair State University in Montclair — his second and final one against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono — after the state Supreme Court agreed to weigh his administration’s appeal of a ruling to allow gay marriage.

Buono, who has an openly gay daughter, declined to respond to Christie’s statement.

( QUIZ: How well do you know Chris Christie)

“My children understand that there are going to be differences of opinion in our house and in houses all across this state and across this country,” Christie said. He said he would respect voters if they approved gay marriage, but said the decision does not belong to the courts or the legislature.

Christie also faced questions about his criticism of the government shutdown in light of his endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Steve Lonegan, who will face voters Wednesday in his contest with Democrat Cory Booker, a special election to replace the late Frank Lautenberg.

Last week, Lonegan said that he “would like to see government open,” but reiterated that he sees a one-year delay in the implementation of Obama’s health care law as “essential.” Disagreement over Obamacare funding led to a shutdown on Oct. 1.

( Also on POLITICO: Chris Christie rival Barbara Buono highlights medical history)

“I endorsed Steve Lonegan and I’ll vote for him tomorrow,” Christie said. “The fact is, though, that we don’t agree on everything … and I don’t agree with Steve on his position on that, but the fact is, that I still believe he’s the best person for the job.”

Christie has worked with Newark Mayor Booker on a variety of issues and has seen potential 2016 GOP rivals such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry swing through his state to support the conservative Lonegan.

In addition to the candidates sparring on local issues during the 90-minute debate, state Sen. Buono assailed Christie on several topics that would almost certainly surface if he ran for president in 2016, including the DREAM Act and climate change.

( Also on POLITICO: Chris Christie: Join Senate? Kill me)

A state DREAM Act would allow in-state tuition for some college students who came to the country illegally. On Saturday, Christie reportedly said that “we need tuition equality for everyone in New Jersey.” In 2011, Christie said he opposed the measure “in a difficult time of budget constraints.”

He said his comments Saturday weren’t a reversal, but rather an acknowledgment that economic conditions are more favorable now.

“I’ve never been opposed to tuition equality,” Christie said. “What I’ve been opposed to is making that choice when there are other choices that we needed to make in the budget.”

“Be careful,” said Buono, who praised the DREAM Act. “This governor has a history of saying one thing and doing another.” “Christie doesn’t remember his own record on tuition equality,” her campaign added in a statement.

( Also on POLITICO: Shaq and Chris Christie team up)

On climate change, Buono blasted Christie’s decision to pull New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in 2011. “The fact is, climate change helped to contribute to Hurricane Sandy,” Buono said.

Christie said he maintains his acceptance of the fact that human activity plays a role in ongoing climate change, and that he simply didn’t have time to study its specific contributions to Sandy when the storm slammed New Jersey last fall.

Christie dismissed a question about what he says to fellow Republicans who reject climate-change science.

“It is not my job to respond to every difference on every issue that I have with members of my party or members of the opposite party,” he said.

Christie leads Buono by 24 points, a Monmouth University poll found this weekend. The election is Nov. 5.