2009 New Jersey gubernatorial debates: on Welfare & Poverty


Chris Christie: Gut COAH, the Council on Affordable Housing

The state budget took center stage at New Jersey's republican gubernatorial debate. One of the more heated exchanges by Steve Lonegan and Chris Christie on spending came about over the Council on Affordable Housing or COAH. Lonegan asked, "I'm curious to watch Chris move his position from being in favor of COAH in December, to gutting it and bringing it back in a different form two weeks ago, and to now apparently call for eliminating it altogether. So I'm not really clear what Mr. Christie's position is, today."

Christie responded, "One of the hallmarks of Steve's campaign is to just make it up as he goes along. The fact of the matter is right from day one, I have said I would gut COAH. I guess it was just another one of those times Steve wasn't listening, but just since we're here tonight and you can hear me, I would gut COAH, that's been my position from the beginning and no matter how many times you say something else, it just doesn't make it so."

Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage: 2009 N.J. gubernatorial primary May 12, 2009

  • The above quotations are from 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial debates.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Welfare & Poverty.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Chris Christie on Welfare & Poverty.
  • Click here for more quotes by Jon Corzine on Welfare & Poverty.
Candidates and political leaders on Welfare & Poverty:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Feb 19, 2019