Chris Christie enters the 2016 race: 'I am now ready to fight for the people of the United States of America'

On Tuesday morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie formally announced his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in the gymnasium of his old high school in Livingston, New Jersey. "I am now ready to fight for the people of the United States of America," he said.

Christie critiqued the dysfunction of Congress and President Obama, and emphasized the country's need for "strong leadership and decisiveness to lead America again." He promised to run a campaign "without spin or focus on group pandering."

"You're going to get what I think," the tough-talking governor said, "whether or not you like it."

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The New Jersey governor was once a rising GOP star — many high-powered conservatives all but begged him to run for president in 2012 — but his fortunes have since tanked, largely due to a 2013 scandal about politically motivated traffic on the George Washington Bridge. Christie is the 14th GOP candidate to enter the presidential race.