Apparently, they made a pact early on not to attack each other, and to collaborate on projects. However, that pact is gonna get tested amid reports that Newark Mayor Cory Booker (who is a moderate-liberal Democrat) is planning a gubernatorial bid against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (who is a conservative Republican. From the Newark Star-Ledger: "Shortly after Gov. Chris Christie won election in 2009, he drove to Newark to meet with Mayor Cory Booker late at night, and the two men made a deal. They both knew that someday, somehow, they were likely to bang heads in a political fight that only one of them could win. But not yet. The deal was a peace treaty. No political games. No cheap shots. They would play fair and cooperate whenever possible. 'He’s honored that commitment to me,' Booker said Friday after his return from the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. 'And we’ve built a real friendship. I’m going to do everything I can to get his daughter into Stanford, even if it is in the middle of an election.'"
The article continues: "The peace treaty is about to face its toughest test as Booker circles Christie and considers challenging him in 2013. If that happens, the decision would likely come within four or five months. And so now, the games have begun. Booker is meeting with party leaders to discuss it. He told Democrats in Charlotte that someone has to bring down Christie in 2013. And while he’s worked closely with Christie, he’s now talking up their differences. 'I’m a Democrat,' Booker said. 'I believe in marriage equality [gay marriage]. I think it’s terrible that that first budget of Christie’s slashed funding for Planned Parenthood. I think it’s terrible that New Jersey pulled out of the environmental pact (on climate change).' Here’s the problem: Newark is utterly dependent on Christie’s good will and that could evaporate in a flash if Booker makes this challenge."
More about Newark's relationship with the state: "Newark could lose a great deal. State aid covers about 20 percent of the city budget and more than 70 percent of the school budget. Every major building project in Newark relies on state subsidies. And Trenton directly manages the schools. Right now, Booker is begging Christie for an extra $24 million to get through this fiscal year. Picture a little puppy flopped on its back, begging for a belly rub and a bone, and you have the basic idea. That’s why some in Newark are nervous about a Booker challenge."
The Peace Treaty Between Booker, Christie Remains....For Now
