Dist. 214 students ask Chris Christie, what if you become president?
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was in Illinois nine times last year helping campaign for Gov. Bruce Rauner, but on Thursday night he was in the suburbs on his own.
Nearly 1,000 people packed into the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows to hear from Christie and celebrate the annual Northwest Suburban Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. The audience was filled with suburban leaders including the mayors of Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights.
Christie spent 15 minutes before the speech visiting with and answering questions from members of debate teams in Northwest Suburban High School District 214. They asked him how he got into politics, what his favorite moment was, and if he does run for president and win, what would he look forward to the most.
"Waking up every morning and knowing that you can change the world that day," Christie said to the idea of being in the White House. "That would be a pretty amazing thing to get to do."
The students said they were impressed with Christie's candor and ideas.
"That was one of the most memorable experiences I've ever had," said Mike Zalinski, a senior at Prospect High School.
Hosts of the event gave Christie, a self-declared Dallas Cowboys fan, a Chicago Bears hat as he took the stage. Though he didn't try it on, Christie said he was glad to be back in Illinois.
"As a blue state Republican, I know the battle Republicans have here in Cook county," Christie said. "I feel a kinship with the people in Illinois. "
Christie attacked President Barack Obama's policies on matters ranging from ISIS to the Keystone XL pipeline during his speech calling the president's term in office "an absolute, abject failure of leadership."
He told the audience about his mother, who was diagnosed with fatal lung cancer 11 years ago this weekend, and how she taught him to be the brash person he is today.
"That's just part of who I am," Christie said. "If you want people to trust you enough to follow you, you need to tell them the truth, even if they don't want to hear it."
He mentioned recent visits to both Florida and Iowa, states that will play important roles if he does decide to run for president.
While Christie is still playing coy about his political future, he ended the speech by telling the audience members that he would not stand by while the country moved backward and that he would need their help.
"It's all of you who will decide if we will move forward to a brighter, more peaceful, more prosperous tomorrow, or if we will go backward," he said.
Members of the audience were receptive to his message, giving Christie a standing ovation before he had to rush back to O'Hare to catch a flight.
"I think he said a lot of things that Republicans are all about," said Katy Dolan Baumer, Hanover Township clerk. "I hope he'll run. We need someone who says it like it is."
Others said they hope that more potential 2016 candidates add Illinois to their itineraries in coming months as state Republicans look to build off Rauner's electoral success.
"It's an exciting event," said Chris Aryan of Des Plaines. "I would like to see more candidates come here to show us what they have to offer for the Republican Party."