Chris Christie apologies again for bridge scandal in state address, looks ahead

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie opened his State of the State Address on Tuesday with an apology and a vow to fully cooperate with "all appropriate" investigations of an apparent scheme to cause massive traffic jams as well as the use of federal money for a state ad campaign.

Christie - a charismatic conservative and an early favorite in the Republican bid for the White House in 2016, was re-elected in a landslide victory last November - but the pair of scandals coming in the first weeks of the year have put him on the defensive.

"The last week has certainly tested this administration. Mistakes were clearly made. And as a result, we let down the people we are entrusted to serve," Christie said. "Without a doubt, we will cooperate with all appropriate inquiries to ensure that this breach of trust does not happen again."

Two sets of emails last week appeared to show that Christie's aides had orchestrated lane closures for several days last September on a stretch of highway leading to the George Washington Bridge, which spans the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan, and then lied about it.

Christie has denied any knowledge of the apparent orchestration to snarl traffic at the bridge as political payback against the Democratic mayor of the nearby city of Fort Lee, New Jersey, for his refusal to endorse Christie's gubernatorial bid.

But the governor's speech mostly addressed the "Jersey Comeback," which Christie has long claimed has resulted in private sector jobs and secured public-private investment in the Garden State, and his cooperation with the Democrat-controlled state legislature.

"No state in this country has shown more bipartisan cooperation and governance over the last four years than New Jersey and our people are proud of it. Let's resolve today that we will continue to put those people first. We will do our jobs," Christie said.

"These are our achievements: Four balanced budgets. Passed with bipartisan support. Pension reform and tenure reform. Passed with bipartisan support. A cap on property taxes. Passed with bipartisan support," Christie said. "We acted and we acted together."

Christie also gave a nod to an issue that was at the top of his agenda in his first term - an across-the-board tax cut - though he said he will wait to announce specific ideas when he gives his budget address next month.

The state's economy has seen signs of improvement over the last several months. Its unemployment rate experienced the largest monthly drop on record in November, dropping 0.6 percentage point to 7.8 percent, according to the state labor department.

Revenue has also been recovering steadily. In the first five months of fiscal 2014, which began on July 1, New Jersey took in 7.9 percent more revenue - from income, sales, corporate and other taxes - than in the same period the prior fiscal year. But that is still 1.2 percent, or $98 million, under budget.

Still, the state's fiscal situation and Christie's ideas for improving it could be overshadowed by his response to the scandals and speculation about his political future.

Since taking office four years ago, Christie - a former federal prosecutor - has built a national reputation as a Republican capable of winning bipartisan support for his conservative priorities, like spending cuts, while repairing New Jersey's reputation for corruption and graft.