AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, once a star in the Republican Party with a nearly 80% approval rating, will leave office on Tuesday as the least popular governor in his state's history.
Christie began his seven-year tenure in office as a big-tent Republican, viewed by many across the aisle as a tough straight-talker. Following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, his approval rating surged into the high 70s and he won reelection by a landslide in 2013. Once unafraid to diverge from party orthodoxy, Christie has in recent years tacked right, running for president on a conservative platform and endorsing a president widely despised among New Jerseyans.
After several scandals, including the criminal convictions of two of his top aides, and a failed 2016 presidential bid, Christie has just a 14% approval rating and is widely disliked in his own state and party.