In a rousing speech capping off the first night of the Republican National Convention, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie said GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney would level with the American people about the nation’s challenges.
Using his own experience as a Republican governor in a blue state, Christie also predicted that Americans would rally behind difficult choices, as long as they were the right ones.
“We have never been victims of destiny,” Christie thundered in a speech to a boisterous Tampa Bay Times Forum. “We have always been the masters of our own.”
Long a favorite of tea party and conservative activists, Christie brought down the house, drawing several standing ovations and some of the loudest reactions of the night. He was the last speaker on a first day that was delayed by 24 hours as a precaution as Tropical Storm Isaac barreled past Florida and the Tampa Bay area.
The night also featured a surprise appearance by Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and a soft speech by his wife, Ann. The campaign had juggled Ann Romney’s speech, meant to humanize her sometimes stiff husband, to make sure that it appeared on the networks in primetime.
Ann Romney largely used her speech to reflect on her personal life with the GOP nominee, referring repeatedly back to the high-school dance where they met. “You can trust Mitt,” she assured the audience.
