Christie says he's the conservative in race for Governor

Fighting the description out there that he's a centrist in wolf's clothing, GOP gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie challenged the essence of his chief rival's campaign today as he suggested that Steven Lonegan, leader of New Jersey's conservative moment, is running plays out of the Democratic Party playbook.

"I'm the only one proposing to cut taxes," Christie told reporters in a teleconference call. "He (Lonegan) admitted this week to the Philadelphia Inquirer that his plan would raise taxes 70% and 75% on senior citizens. His plan is foolish and bizarre. It's not a conservative idea. It's the kind of idea you would normally hear from Democrats.

"The only thing conservative about him is he says he's conservative," Christie said of Lonegan.

Lonegan campaign strategist Rick Shaftan took Christie’s comments as a sign that the presumptive frontrunner is now forced to fight on Lonegan’s terms. 

“If we’re going to have a debate between who’s the real conservative that’s good for us,” Shaftan said “We’re happy to meet them on our turf. They’re reacting to everything we say now.”

In his teleconference call, Christie excoriated Gov. Jon Corzine for failing to put the state on sound financial footing and, in his words, misleading the public about a $2 billion revenue shortfall by putting out "rosy projections" and failing to bring a businessman's mindset to the state's financial trouble.

The former U.S. Attorney has also secured the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton), who is highly regarded by pro-life voters.