Chris Christie Highlights Glory Days at Campaign Launch

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For Chris Christie, the gymnasium will be a familiar setting. Livingston High School is where he watched classmates play basketball and cheer the football team before big games, cheering on the powerhouse Lancers. He rose over his contemporaries—including the man who now serves as President Obama’s top economic adviser, as well as a former baseball teammate whose role in closing a bridge into New York City would dog Christie’s political future—to become a three-time student body president.

On these polished hardwood floors, trimmed in green paint, the New Jersey Governor will try to return to the rosier times, when ahead of him lay years as the Big Man on Campus at Delaware and then a high-profile posting as a young U.S. Attorney. As Christie launches his White House bid on Tuesday, his approach echoes the craggy vocals of his musical hero, a beloved figure in the Garden State with whom the politically ambitious Christie has had a tortured relationship.

“Glory days,” Bruce Springsteen bellows on the eponymous track, released while Christie in his young 20s. “Well, they’ll pass you by, glory days.”

See Chris Christie's Life in Photos

Chris Christie as an infant in 1963.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
The Christie family, from left to right, Todd, Dawn, and Chris, with mom, Sondra in an undated photo.
The Christie family, from left to right, Todd, Dawn, and Chris, with mom, Sondra in an undated photo.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
The Christie family, from left to right, Dawn, Todd and Chris, with mom, Sondra and dad, Bill in Singer Island, Fla., in 1974.
The Christie family, from left to right, Dawn, Todd and Chris, with mom, Sondra and dad, Bill in Singer Island, Fla., in 1974.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
An undated photo of Chris Christie, who played catcher for the Livingston High School varsity baseball team.
An undated photo of Chris Christie, who played catcher for the Livingston High School varsity baseball team.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
Chris Christie's senior class photo and profile from Livingston High School's yearbook in 1980.
Chris Christie's senior class photo and profile from Livingston High School's yearbook in 1980.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
Livingston High School 's yearbook profile on Chris Christie in 1980.
Livingston High School's yearbook profile on Chris Christie in 1980.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
An early photo of Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat where the couple met at the University of Delaware.
An early photo of Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat where the couple met at the University of Delaware.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
Chris Christie and Mary Pat on their wedding day in 1986.
Chris Christie and Mary Pat on their wedding day in 1986.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
At the Morris County Board of Freeholders reorganization meeting held at administration building in Morristown Chris Christie, left is sworn as freeholder, by Senator Joseph Kyrillos,Jr., as Christie’s wife Mary Pat holds the bible and their son Andrew during the ceremony.
Chris Christie, left, is sworn as freeholder, by Senator Joseph Kyrillos, Jr., as Christie’s wife Mary Pat holds the bible and their son Andrew during the Morris County Board of Freeholders reorganization meeting in Morristown, N.J. Patti Sapone—Star-Ledger
The Governor Chris Christie and his family in 1994.
The Governor Chris Christie and his family in 1994.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat at the inauguration of former president George W. Bush on Jan. 20, 2001.
Chris Christie and his wife Mary Pat at the inauguration of former president George W. Bush in Washington on Jan. 20, 2001.Courtesy of Governor Chris Christie
Chris Christie, center, answers a question on the steps of U.S. District Courthouse in Newark, N.J. on Aug. 13, 2003.
Chris Christie, center, answers a question on the steps of U.S. District Courthouse in Newark, N.J. on Aug. 13, 2003.Mike Derer—AP
NJ Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Christie Campaigns Day Before Election
New Jersey Republican nominee for Governor Chris Christie (C) and his running mate Sheriff Kim Guadagno (L) make some phone calls to voters at Monmouth County Republican Headquarters in Freehold, N.J. on Nov. 2, 2009.Hiroko Masuike—Getty Images
Christie Challenges Incumbent Gov. Corzine In Jersey's Gubernatorial Race
New Jersey Governor-elect Chris Christie and wife Mary Pat wave to election-night supporters at Christie's victory celebration in Parsippany, N.J. on Nov. 3, 2009.Stephen Chernin—Getty Images
Governor Chris Christie
Governor Chris Christie spends time with his daughter Bridget during Take Our Kids to Work Day in Trenton, N.J. on April 22, 2010. Matt Rainey—Star-Ledger
Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey poses with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, during a live broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Sept. 24, 2010, in Chicago.
Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey poses with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, during a live broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Sept. 24, 2010, in Chicago.Harpo Productions/AP
New Jersey Commemorates 9/11 Memorial To 746 Residents Killed In Terror Attacks
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lays a white rose on wreckage pulled from Ground Zero during the memorial dedication to the Empty Sky Memorial at Liberty State Park on Sept. 10, 2011 in Jersey City, N.J.Andrew Burton—Getty Images
Chris Christie
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, center, touches the stones of the Western Wall during his visit to Jerusalem's old city, April 2, 2012. Sebastian Scheiner—AP
The Obamas visit 1 World Trade Center.
President Barack Obama tours 1 World Trade Center with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in New York City on, June 14, 2012.Doug Mills—The New York Times/Redux
REPUBS CONVENTION 4
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kisses his wife, Mary Pat, at an appearance with the Michigan delegation at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 28, 2012.Max Whittaker—The New York Times/Redux
US-VOTE-2012-REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla, on Aug. 28, 2012.Stan Honda—AFP/Getty Images
Mitt Romney and Chris Christie campaign in Ohio.
Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Bob White, left, a Romney adviser, on Romney's campaign bus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Oct. 10, 2012. Jim Wilson—The New York Times/Redux
Saturday Night Live - Season 38
Governor Chris Christie, Seth Meyers on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update on Nov. 11, 2012.NBC/Getty Images
FEMA Director Craig FugateSenator Robert Menendez
Governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama hold a press conference after taking an ariel tour of the damage in New Jersey from Hurricane Sandy and and talking to residents in Brigantine, N.J. on Oct. 31, 2012. Tim Larsen—Governor's Office
Governor Christie tours hurricane damage in Little Ferry
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie comforts Kerri Berean whose home was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Little Ferry, N.J., on Nov. 3, 2012.Tim Larsen—Governor's Office/Reuters
ABC's "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012"
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2012," which aired Dec. 12, 2012.Ida Mae Astute—ABC/Getty Images
New Jersey Governor Christie departs after giving his State of the State address in the assembly chamber in Trenton
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie departs after giving his State of the State address in the assembly chamber in Trenton, N.J. on Jan. 8, 2013. Christie renewed his calls to the U.S. Congress on Tuesday to quickly pass the full $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy relief package, saying victims in New Jersey had been short-changed. Carlo Allegri—Reuters
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Gov. Chris Christie fixes his tie in his offfice before delivering his State Of The State address at the Statehouse, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, in Trenton, N.J.Edward Keating—Contact for TIME
US-POLITICS-OBAMA-SANDY
US President Barack Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) walk along the boardwalk as they view rebuilding efforts following last year's Hurricane Sandy in Point Pleasant, N.J. on May 28, 2013. Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images
Governor Chris Christie is Reelected to a Second Term
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie celebrates his re-election in Asbury Park, N.J., on Nov. 5, 2013.Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME

It’s as fine a metaphor as any for the famously outspoken governor, who has descended from far-and-away front-runner to potential also-ran in a matter of 18 months.

Burdened by the lingering scandal of the politically motivated closure of approach lanes to the George Washington Bridge by former aides, including his longtime pal and fellow Livingston High School alumnus David Wildstein. The state’s fiscal malaise has taken its toll; the wonk a year ahead of Christie, White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Alan Krueger has faced it on the national level. And Christie’s challenge to his state’s public sector unions on pensions and benefits, deemed too modest, have sent him into a six-month scramble for a fix as he has tried to lay the groundwork for the most difficult campaign in American politics.

His national poll numbers have collapsed, from a high of 20 percent in the RealClearPolitics average just before the Bridgegate revelations in early 2014 to 4 percent today. Even the announcement date reflected Christie’s newfound troubles—pushed forward to allow him to fight to earn a spot on the first debate stage in Cleveland on Aug. 6. Even at home, his poll numbers put him among the most unpopular governors in the country.

Christie aides maintain that despite the low approval figures, his overall strategy hasn’t substantially changed. But it’s clear his ambition has. Gone are the long-laid plans to run a national campaign as a well-funded establishment powerhouse. His fundraising numbers, which will be announced next month, are expected to pale in comparison to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ted Cruz, let alone former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Some of the mega-donors who pushed him to enter the 2012 race against Mitt Romney have moved on, while others have opened their checkbooks only for cautious sums.

What Christie has left are his glory days: the personal narrative of growing up in a blue-collar family to prosecuting terror cases that will serve at the core of his speech. More important, will be recapturing the spirit of the long days of 2011, when the relative-unknown Governor became a YouTube and cable news staple in weekly clashes with critics over his pension reform plan. The give-and-take, in which Christie would argue that the state would go broke unless the retirement programs were restructured, defined Christie’s tenure in Trenton and, he hopes, one day the White House.

It’s an all-in bet that Christie’s dynamism on the stump and raw political talents can overcome more than a year of drama-filled headlines. That New Hampshire, the state with a penchant for embracing candidates’ “straight talk,” could vault Christie back into the top-tier. That the rest of the field, filled with candidates calibrating their messages to appeal to one group or another, will wear on voters seeking a leader.

“Voters are starved for authenticity, which is why Governor Christie has been successful in winning in a blue state,” Christie’s chief strategist, Mike DuHaime, told TIME last week. “Voters are looking for leaders who treat them like adults and tell them the truth. They are rejecting politicians who tell everyone what they want to hear and speak only in cautious focus-grouped terms.”

In four policy rollouts in recent months, Christie has deployed his “tell it like it is” message to calling for privatizing college loans and raising the retirement age. “They call it the third rail of American politics,” he said recently in New Hampshire. “They say, ‘don’t touch it.’ So we’re not going to touch it. We’re going to hug it.”

It’s signature Christie, and more such proposals are planned in the coming months.

Already Christie has held eight town halls in New Hampshire this year, and he will hold three more this week, beginning seven hours after his announcement address.

Christie’s speech Tuesday in the high school gymnasium, is staged to mimic the feel of the more than 135 town hall events he conducted in New Jersey, spotlighting the centrality of that storyline to his campaign. His pre-announcement video provides the origin story for those moments, a staple of his stump speech designed to make New Jersey brash palatable to the rest of America.

“I get accused a lot of times of being too blunt and too direct and saying what’s on my mind just a little bit too loudly,” Christie says at one of the Granite State town halls. “I have an Irish father and I had a Sicilian mother … My mom was the one who set the rules and set the tone. No suffering in silence, if you’ve got a problem, tell me.”

Christie would do well to heed his late mother. Sondra Christie’s advice given to the still-unformed future Governor could be what lifts him out of the current slump. If that tough talk cannot, Christie will be left with another truism from his idol, Springsteen: “Time slips away and leaves you with nothing, mister, but boring stories of glory days.”

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