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Chris Christie is low-key at governors event

N.J. Republican shuns limelight amid scandal

The usually outspoken Chris Christie is scheduled to attend just one public event during the three-day annual meeting of the nation’s governors.Mike Theiler/Reuters

WASHINGTON — Moving cautiously to repair his image, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is maintaining a low profile this weekend as the nation’s governors gather in Washington.

Republican officials have been eager to change the subject as Democrats link Christie’s troubles to vulnerable GOP governors in a challenging election season.

The usually outspoken Christie is scheduled to attend just one public event during the three-day annual meeting. He avoided a media-sponsored forum Friday, was not granting interviews, will not attend a White House dinner, and was skipping a news conference hosted by the Republican Governors Association, an organization he heads.

Christie arrived at the National Governors Association meeting with his wife, Mary Pat, and a group of aides, declining to respond to reporters’ questions as he entered the ballroom. Before the start of the meeting, Christie chatted with a Kentucky Democrat, Governor Steve Beshear, and agreed to a few quick photographs with attendees near the podium.

‘‘I think he’s getting a bum rap,’’ said Lily Kersh of Russellville, Ark., who took a ‘‘selfie’’ photo with Christie.

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Asked by reporters afterward whether the bridge scandal came up in meetings with governors, Christie said: ‘‘No, just by you guys.’’

Christie is leaving Washington Sunday to celebrate his daughter’s birthday and focus on an upcoming budget address, according to his office. Advisers privately acknowledge a larger effort to reduce media coverage of ongoing abuse-of-power investigations in New Jersey that threaten to derail his ambitious political future.

When elected to his second term last fall, Christie was considered one of his party’s strongest prospective presidential candidates.

‘‘Governor Christie may be hiding under a bridge somewhere or stuck in traffic, but the fact that he’s a liability for Republican governors remains readily apparent this weekend,’’ said Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

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Scandal erupted in New Jersey six weeks ago when internal e-mails revealed that senior members of the Christie administration ordered traffic lanes closed near the George Washington Bridge, perhaps to punish a Democratic mayor. The closures created days of gridlock that stalled commuters, schoolchildren, and emergency responders.

Federal authorities are conducting a criminal inquiry, while state lawmakers are pursuing their own civil probe. Christie has denied personal involvement, but five people close to him have been fired or have resigned.

GOP governors seemed keen on avoiding questions about Christie’s leadership of the organization responsible for electing GOP governors. Republicans face a challenging political map going into the November midterm contests. They are defending 22 of the 36 governor seats up for election, including six in states that President Obama twice carried.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, is expected to attend a Christie fund-raiser in Boston this week. The event is expected to be private.