During a town hall meeting in Franklin Township in Somerset County, the Republican governor said people should be allowed to donate an unlimited amount of money to political campaigns, as long as they are required to disclose their contribution within a 48-hour period.
"I think we need to be realistic in this country about the fact that our political system costs money," Christie said. "None of these laws change that. So let’s add transparency to it."
Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to strike down limits on the total amount of money a person can donate to political campaigns in a two-year period.
Critics say the decision allows for wealthy donors to dole out millions more to candidates and campaigns. Christie said it was "just peeling back another layer of the onion that didn’t stop money from getting into politics anyway."
Tuesday's remarks came about six months after Christie took over as chair of the Republican Governors Association, a group that raises money for GOP gubernatorial candidates across the country. Christie has helped the group raise $33 million since he took over the position in October, increasing his profile for a potential run at the White House.
Christie was re-elected last year in an election season that saw candidates, political parties, and special interest groups spend a total of $128.9 million on state races — the most ever in New Jersey. That was due in large part to $41 million spent by "independent expenditure" groups — nonprofit organizations and "super PACs" that advocate for or against candidates and ballot questions.
Christie said the goal should be stopping donors who circumvent laws by making anonymous donations to independent groups that don’t have to reveal the sources of their money.
"Let’s stop playing games with each other," he said. "Campaigns cost money. Let’s let everybody know where you got the money from."
Christie has benefitted from such anonymous money. The Committee for Our Children’s Future, a large group that supports the governor’s agenda, has spent more than $7 million on TV ads in the last few years to trumpet Christie’s accomplishments and plans.
The group, which is not required to disclose its donors, was founded in 2011 by some of Christie’s friends from college to fight back against unions that spent millions to oppose the governor’s initiatives.
