Chris Christie's headwinds

Among the headwinds for the Republican as he sets an agenda for 2014: a state unemployment rate of 8.5% in August, compared with 7.3% nationally (and among the 10 highest of all states); a slower recovery from the recession compared with the nation; and a budget with a slimmer surplus than those in most of the rest of the country. …

“New Jersey is lagging. If you want to lead the country, you have to want to lead, not lag,” said former Gov. Tom Kean, about the state’s economy.

“The whole focus on New Jersey and the weak spots are going to be there,” added Mr. Kean, a Republican who is one of Mr. Christie’s close advisers. “If he neglects New Jersey at all, and things get out of hand, that’s going to be a problem.”

In his second term, Mr. Christie intends to push for a tax cut, changes to civil-service rules and additional public education changes—such as relaxing rules requiring recently hired teachers be laid off before veteran ones, a campaign spokesman said.