Christie says the hecklers just wanted 'partisan political attention' from the media. Christie spars with hecklers in N.J.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sought to shame a handful of hecklers who disrupted his town hall meeting on at least four occasions Thursday morning.

The Republican governor, who has generally encountered friendly audiences at town hall meetings since a traffic-related scandal rocked his administration earlier this year, offered several admonishments as the protesters interrupted other people’s questions about education and budget matters at the Mount Laurel, N.J., gathering.


“They don’t want an answer from me,” he said. “What they want is attention. They want partisan political attention from a media hungry to give it to them … Reporters go out and follow them as they get taken out. What we’re going to continue to do is answer people’s questions, not when they yell and scream like that,” but when they raise their hands.

At least one heckler appeared to reference “Bridgegate,” according to accounts from people in the room.

The scandal, in which several aides with ties to the Christie administration allegedly closed lanes leading to the busy George Washington Bridge, has sparked several investigations and dominated the conversation about Christie much of this year. Until Bridgegate, Christie was considered a front-runner for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, but the incident has taken a toll on his poll numbers.

Aside from the hecklers, he encountered a largely receptive audience, with one member appearing to ask encouragingly about a presidential bid. Christie talked about the importance of leadership and the ability to work on both sides of the aisle — something that, as a GOP governor of a blue state, he often touts as one of his achievements.

Many attendees shouted over the hecklers, at least six of whom were removed from the room, according to local news reports.

One young heckler charged that Christie should be responsible “for Bridgegate, for not allocating [Hurricane] Sandy funds where he should have and for the fact that we are systematically denying African Americans and Latinos Sandy aid,” according to PolitickerNJ.

“If I call on people and they want to yell at me, fine, yell at me,” Christie said. “But don’t take away from everyone else for your own partisan political purposes. That’s just not what this is about.”

The governor, known for his New Jersey bravado and willingness to spar with opponents, generally kept his cool in the face of interruptions. But he did display frustration early on in the event.

“Either sit down and keep quiet or get out of here,” he told the first protester. “We’re done with you.”

Later, he said that while he personally didn’t mind confrontation (“I grew up in a household with an Irish father and a Sicilian mother. I have been raised on conflict.”), he was concerned about the people who were trying to ask substantive questions.