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title: Marco Rubio: No Hard Feelings Over Chris Christie
description: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said there are no hard feelings towards Chris Christie for his damaging attack during the last Republican debate.
canonical: https://time.com/4215977/marco-rubio-chris-christie-debate/
author: Tessa Berenson
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article:published_time: 2016-02-10T19:45:32.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:41:57.430Z
article:section: Politics
og:title: Rubio: No Hard Feelings Over Christie&#x27;s Debate Tactics
og:description: &quot;He was trying to win. … I respect that.&quot;
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og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2nd R) and Donald Trump visit as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (L) stands close by during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in
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twitter:title: Rubio: No Hard Feelings Over Christie&#x27;s Debate Tactics
twitter:description: &quot;He was trying to win. … I respect that.&quot;
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt014f4527a8df1074/69887cfda988cacbb86b6889/chris-christie-marco-rubio.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Rubio: No Hard Feelings Over Christie's Debate Tactics

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/clzan31i.m3u8" -->
## Video: ABC GOP Debate: Watch Chris Christie Call Marco Rubio Out On Accountability

[Watch (HLS stream): ABC GOP Debate: Watch Chris Christie Call Marco Rubio Out On Accountability](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/clzan31i.m3u8) (1:02)

![ABC GOP Debate: Watch Chris Christie Call Marco Rubio Out On Accountability](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/clzan31i/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2016-02-07_


![Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec0484fe1b20c577/698a0ced86f68ed9d96ee9e6/tessa-berenson-author-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)


![Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec0484fe1b20c577/698a0ced86f68ed9d96ee9e6/tessa-berenson-author-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.


Feb 10, 2016 7:45 PM UTC

![Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie \(2nd R\) and Donald Trump visit as Sen. Marco Rubio \(R-FL\) \(L\) stands close by during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt014f4527a8df1074/69887cfda988cacbb86b6889/chris-christie-marco-rubio.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2nd R) and Donald Trump visit as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (L) stands close by during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (2nd R) and Donald Trump visit as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) (L) stands close by during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Joe Raedle—Getty Images

![Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec0484fe1b20c577/698a0ced86f68ed9d96ee9e6/tessa-berenson-author-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)


![Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltec0484fe1b20c577/698a0ced86f68ed9d96ee9e6/tessa-berenson-author-2020.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Tessa Berenson / Greenville, S.C.


Feb 10, 2016 7:45 PM UTC

On the day New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie [dropped out of the presidential race](http://time.com/4215559/chris-christie-drops-out-new-hampshire-primary-results/?xid=homepage), Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said there are no hard feelings towards him for his damaging attack during the last Republican debate.

“I like Chris,” Florida Sen. Rubio said, speaking to reporters aboard a plane to South Carolina Wednesday morning. “Despite all this stuff, I’ve always liked Chris and I still like Chris. I think he has a future in public service beyond what he’s doing now in New Jersey. The only thing I don’t like about him is he’s a Dallas Cowboys fan, but we can’t all be perfect.”

Christie, a former federal prosecutor, is widely credited with hobbling a surging Rubio right before the New Hampshire primary with questions about his experience and a pointed remark that his answers were scripted and repetitive. Rubio ended up coming in fifth place.

“He was trying to win,” Rubio said of the debate. “And in order to win he made a decision that he had to come after me. I respect that.”

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