NJ-GOV

Report: New Jersey Lt. Gov. Was Out Of State During Snowstorm Due To Family Illness

Eric Kleefeld | December 29, 2010, 1:54PM

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R)

Some more information has come to light on the simultaneous absence in New Jersey of both Gov. Chris Christie (R) and his Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno (R), during a crippling snowstorm that was ultimately managed by the Democratic state Senate President. As it turns out, Guadagno reportedly had a family-related reason to be gone.

As the Camden Courier-Post reports:

Sources in both the State House and the governor's office said Guadagno's family was spending time with her father, who has Stage IV cancer. The sources did not want to speak publicly about a private matter.

This would appear to shift more of the blame to Christie, rather than Guadagno, in terms of the complaints about both of them being out of the state during a very serious snowstorm. After all, for her part Guadagno appears to have a very good reason to be absent.

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New Jersey

NJ's Christie & Lt. Gov. Leave Dem In Charge During Snowstorm

Eric Kleefeld | December 28, 2010, 8:20AM

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R)

A funny thing is going on in New Jersey. The state's response to the massive snowstorm is being overseen by Democratic state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, in the role of Acting Governor -- because both Republican Gov. Chris Christie and his Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno are vacationing out of state at the same time.

Until this past year, New Jersey did not actually have a lieutenant governor, with the state Senate President taking over in case of a vacancy or temporary absence of the governor. In 2005, New Jersey voters approved a ballot question to create the office of lieutenant governor, with it being filled by the victory of the Christie-Guadagno ticket in 2009.

But in the midst of the snowstorm, Christie is on vacation with his family at Disney World in Florida, and Guadagno and her family are in Mexico.

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