Watch Bobby Jindal Take On Chris Christie at Undercard Debate

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal took advantage of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s presence in the second tier Republican presidential debate Tuesday night, going on the offensive and branding him a “big government Republican.”

In an exchange between the two candidates at the undercard debate, Jindal took Christie on about his economic record, comparing budget decreases in Louisiana to budget increases in New Jersey. Records matter, Jindal argued.

“My point is this,” he said. “If politicians say they’re going to be conservative, say they’re going to cut spending, but they don’t do it, why should we send them to D.C.? It gets harder, not easier when we send them to D.C. … Let’s not just beat Hillary, let’s elect a conservative to the White House.”

Christie, who succeeded Jindal as chairman of the Republican Governors’ Association in 2014, fired back arguing that he had won two elections in a state with a Democratic majority.

“If you go to New Jersey, they’ll call me lots of different things. A liberal is not one of them,” said Christie. “That’s the person you want on the stage prosecuting the case against Hillary Clinton.”