Christie: Sandy influences election year

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TRENTON, N.J., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Gov. Chris Christie said Hurricane Sandy would have a definite role in shaping New Jersey's state policies this year.

Christie told The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger said the destructive storm had elbowed its way to the top tier of state priorities in the months leading up to his re-election bid in November.

"It erased the blackboard," Christie said in an interview published Sunday.

Christie said the long road to recovery from the storm would complicate the debate over tax reform and other legislative moves that would fit in with a conservative agenda. "From my perspective, that's a discussion we'll have over the next 10 or 11 months and let the people of New Jersey decide which philosophy they think makes the most sense," he said.

Christie said he was not abandoning his conservative Republican leanings and also insisted he would serve out his full four-year term if re-elected rather than seek to cash in on his high national profile and seek a higher office.