Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will leave the campaign trail in New Hampshire and head home in anticipation of a storm that could bring more than a foot of snow to the region.
Christie initially was unsure whether he would travel back to New Jersey, but took to Twitter on Friday to announce his plans. Christie said Friday he was monitoring the snowstorm taking aim at New Jersey and would decide by midday whether to return home.
The Republican governor told reporters in New Hampshire he spoke with his cabinet about the storm that has most of New Jersey under a blizzard warning, with the threat of heavy snow in parts of the state and potentially major coastal flooding.
"We're not all that concerned about it and especially because it's happening on a weekend, that makes it much easier," he said Friday. "I think, we've gone through this rodeo a bunch of times before. We know how to do it. We're pretty experienced at it."
Christie held a cabinet meeting by phone on Thursday, when he said he wasn't planning on returning home, and his office said he'll get an updated briefing Friday on preparations and to determine whether additional steps should be taken.
Since catching flak for spending the first big snowstorm after he entered office in 2010 at Disney World with his family, Christie has put himself front and center during preparation for summer and winter storms alike, driving home public safety and preparedness messages to frazzled residents.
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During Hurricane Irene a year later, Christie snapped into action, telling people to "get the hell off the beach."
Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012 and Christie stood shoulder to shoulder with President Barack Obama, touring the seaside devastation and browbeating Republican lawmakers for dragging their feet on approving aid for the shore. His approval ratings soared, and he won re-election a year later with 60 percent of the vote.
In October, he returned from the campaign trail when it appeared that Hurricane Joaquin was going to slam into the shore.
Christie spent the majority of 2015 out of the state while campaigning, leaving Guadagno as acting governor. He has repeatedly defended his absence saying that he talks to his Cabinet regularly and uses technology to keep up with government.
