When asked by a reporter why he had chosen not to attend an event with Sen. Rand Paul later this month, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, in his classic New Jersey style, had this to say:

I had to choose — it was a very tough choice, Terry — but I had to choose between my wife and Rand Paul. And it’s Mary Pat’s 50th birthday that weekend, and I’m taking her away just the two of us for her 50th birthday. We’re leaving Friday morning, we won’t get back until Sunday night. And in a choice between Mary Pat Christie and Rand Paul, it’s no choice for me. So, I’ll be with Mary Pat.

Christie and Paul have been actively engaged in a well-documented public spat over the last month, pitting Paul’s libertarian-leaning side of the Republican Party against Christie’s more establishment wing.

Christie’s comments today are probably a welcomed moment of levity for both sides of the debate.

You can see the video of Christie’s comments in the tweet below.

In a choice between being with my wife on her birthday or Senator Rand Paul, I choose my wife. http://t.co/PWNciI0SBy

— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) September 3, 2013

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