Chris Christie One of Barbara Walters' “Most Fascinating People” - East Idaho News
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Chris Christie One of Barbara Walters’ “Most Fascinating People”

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121212 ChrisChristieBarbaraWalters?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1355347628031ABC / Ida Mae Astute(NEW YORK) — Chris Christie, New Jersey’s governor, found himself literally in the eye of the storm when two of this year’s biggest news stories — the presidential election and superstorm Sandy — collided.

Christie’s role in both of those events along with his outsized personality earned him a spot on Barbara Walters’ list of the 10 most fascinating people of 2012.

Courted to run for president, Christie instead became an early and vocal supporter of Republican nominee Mitt Romney. That support, however, came under fire when fans-turned-critics accused him of costing Romney the election by praising President Obama’s leadership in the aftermath of the storm.

“First of all, I didn’t help [Obama] win,” Christie told Barbara Walters. “I was doing my job.”

“The fact of the matter is President Obama won the election pretty comfortably… I was doing my job as I saw fit to do it. And I told the truth, like I always do. The president did step up and help tremendously in New Jersey.”

When the two men flew in the president’s helicopter Marine One to survey storm damage ahead of the election, Christie said he made his allegiance clear.

“I said, you know, I’m not voting for you,” he told Walters. “And he said, ‘I never thought you were.'”

If Christie, 50, was the object of fascination in 2012, he’s already an object of speculation for 2016. Despite ruffling some conservative feathers for his praise of Obama, he earned plaudits for what many saw as an act of political bravery.

Already, he is at the top of many Republican short-lists for the next presidential election. But if Christie is considering a bid for the White House, he is not talking about it.

“I don’t know what I’ll feel like in 2016,” he said. “First things first, that was another thing my mother taught me. First things first. First things first is to finish the job I have here.”

Tune in to ABC for Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012 on December 12 at 9:30PM EST.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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