Two New Jersey Democratic legislators are throwing their support behind a bill that would call for the resignation of a governor running for president, including Governor Christie.
Senators Ray Lesniak and Loretta Weinberg, both Democrats, are supporting the bill, which would force Christie to resign as Governor.
TLS spoke with Senator Lesniak today, and he says he hopes to get the support of nearly all, or all Democrats, and some Republicans when he introduces the bill.
“I, and majority of the people in New Jersey are at the end of the rope with a Governor abandoning the state, and not paying attention to the problems,” Lesniak told TLS. “In fact, he’s taking action on the contrary in order to advance his presidential aspirations and need to get support from republican primary voters in other states.”
Lesniak says the bill would require a NJ Governor to declare a vacancy in the office upon an official announcement of the presidential candidacy.
“We can’t have an absentee governor for the State of New Jersey,” Lesniak told TLS.
A petition, supported by Lesniak, was set up by the NJ Working Families organization. The organization describes itself as an “organization focusing primarily on nonpartisan advocacy on important issues facing working families.”
The petition reads as follows:
“What would you do with a full time employee who skips work half the time? Well, that’s what New Jerseyans have with Chris Christie. Instead of doing his job, our governor spent half of the last six months gallivanting around the country in a longshot presidential bid. New Jersey is fed up, and rightly so.
Over half of his own constituents want Christie to resign immediately, and now two legislators have announced they’d introduce a bill to force his hand. But if we want to see it pass, the rest of the legislature needs to hear from us.”
The bill is expected to be introduced July 20, 2015.
[TLS]
What happens when the president runs for.a.second term…should he resign from first term to campaign..
How do you compare the Governor’s position to a 9-5 job? If an employee skips half his work day, yes you fire him. A traveling Governor doesn’t equal missing half a work day. A Governor can govern long distance as well. This is just another Democrat tactic. And #1 has a good point, perhaps every president should resign while campaigning for a second term. If a President can campaign while running the country, a Governor can certainly manage to run a single state while campaigning.
Lesniak and Weinberg are (moderated) that need to be voted out. It is not up to them. It should be up to the people.
A bunch of (moderated) is what this is. Partisan politics. Nj is famous for it
Forget every president. Next time Senator Lesniak runs for another term he should resign first and let someone take him over while he is running.
The Democrats are afraid of Christie they will try to discredit him any way they can. With Christie gone the Democrats will run wild in the State House. More taxes more useless laws…..
#1 & 2,
Let’s forget about our President running for 2nd term. What about our President criss crossing the country campaigning for fellow democrats in the senate and the house in mid term elections! I read an article of how many days Mr Obama was out of Washington attenting campaign events for last midterm elections it was a crazy number and interestingly they were all mid week. He was always back for weekends and his games of golf!
He’s not the first governor to run for president. Senators: do your job and stop worrying if christee is doing his!
I agree that he should resign. We had the bridge, hurricane sandy and others. We will all be better without him. Even bagel nosh doesn’t gain having Christie as governor, as he buys his doughnuts elsewhere
You think that if the governor would be a democrat they would sponsor the same bill??
Exactly.
Hey look who making a mess in country the democrat are they are one who approve mix ups marriage so democrat I going embrass you. Stop bugging christee leave him alone and mind your own president Obama and take care your stupid deal with Iran. Which not helping our country. Do you know how much you waste on our freedom bill? Fools is fools. Look at kj bills rejected ?? What is next goverments problem ?? Leave our Governor alone
He was an absentee governor even before he announced he would run.
What would change now
Partisan democrats are upset they lost to Cristevon the pension fight trying to get him back
He is interested in keeping and getting power for the Democrats and himself. He should put this much effort into problems that effect US and NOT HIM!! It’s time to put him on the unemployment line. But come election time he will hope we all forget this and re elect him, how sad.
This bill is rubbish.
I would live to see this bill get passed…. just to watch Governor Christie veto it!
The bill is a bad idea. Governor can do their job when running for a second term. However, I believe Christie should resign. Since he spoke at the republican convention 4 years ago, he has accomplished absolutely nothing.
He has been running around the country and the world ignoring the state of NJ. He got caught up in his own fleeting success, and has been a major disappointment. Lately he has been blaming the continued problems in NJ on his predecessors, 6 years after he has been in office, kind of like Obama still blaming Bush.
He was looking at the long term prospect of being president and lost sight of his current responsibilities as governor. He wouldn’t win if he was able to run for governor again, he has no chance of being President. His political career is done.