N.J. Gov. Chris Christie becoming a national hero of GOP

WILLIAMSPORT, PA. (By Perry Bacon Jr., The Washington Post) - You could describe him as a burly guy who has declared "I'm pretty fat" from a state better known for Tony Soprano and Snooki than its politicians. Or a man so fiery that he confronted a heckler at a recent event, wagged his finger in his face and said, "It's people who raise their voices and scream and yell like you who are dividing this country."

Or someone so reviled by teachers unions that representatives in New Jersey signed a memo that included a humorous reference to praying for his death.

But only a year into office, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has also emerged as one of the most popular figures in the Republican Party, a blunt-talking governor who unabashedly attacks unions and Democratic groups, cuts spending, blocks tax increases and runs his relatively liberal state in a conservative mold.