Barely a month after pulling off a smashing re-election victory, Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie finds himself fending off a local scandal that has become an early stumbling block on his road to a run for president in 2016. And despite Christie's cries of foul -- he claims Democrats are making a mountain out of a molehill -- all indications are that the Republican hopeful has nobody to blame but himself for his current woes. As he prepares to ascend to the national stage -- and the glare of the spotlight that comes with it -- Christie must change some of the funky, in-your-face combative style that serves him well in New Jersey but is likely to cause voters in places such as Iowa and New Hampshire to recoil in horror.
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Errol Louis: Scandal brings new scrutiny to Chris Christie if he decides to run for president
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The closing of roads leading to George Washington Bridge seen as political retaliation
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Two officials close to Christie have resigned, and he said, "Mistakes were made"
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Louis: The episode could bolster the perception that Christie's style is too assertive
Democrats
A big part of Christie's appeal -- an image he has carefully cultivated -- is that he's a Republican with proven ability to win over @placeholder and independent voters.
New Jersey
New Jersey
A former prosecutor, Christie has built a case for his crossover appeal by pointing to his two victories in @placeholder, a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by 700,000 and independent voters outnumber both parties.
Democrats
A former prosecutor, Christie has built a case for his crossover appeal by pointing to his two victories in New Jersey, a state where @placeholder outnumber Republicans by 700,000 and independent voters outnumber both parties.
Republican
Republican
A former prosecutor, Christie has built a case for his crossover appeal by pointing to his two victories in New Jersey, a state where Democrats outnumber @placeholder by 700,000 and independent voters outnumber both parties.
Democrats
That could turn Christie into a punching bag for national @placeholder and erode his crossover appeal.