Christie Set to Deliver State of the State Address Tuesday

As Gov. Chris Christie continues to mull a run for president in 2016, there is a consensus among political pundits that Christie will give the most important speech of his career when he delivers the 2015 State of the State address on Tuesday before a special joint session of the Legislature.

"Any speech he gives is going to be scrutinized and it's going to be scrutinized not as the governor of any state, but as a presidential candidate and political power players are going to be looking specifically at whether the things he says in that speech are credible," said Peter Woolley, professor of comparative politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Christie is all but a declared candidate for president, and the fact that he is still in office making decisions means voters can dissect what he says and does. This is not lost on the governor and his tip aides and advisors, all of whom are well aware that everything Christie does will be viewed through the prism of presidential politics, according to Woolley.

"For Christie's part, he's going to have to give a speech that's optimistic, that doesn't seem to avoid the tough issues, but claims credit for himself and claims credit in a credible way, in a way that people will actually believe and say, 'Well okay, he actually did do that.' It not only has to be a speech that people pay attention to, but it has to be something people will believe," Woolley said.

According to The Washington Post, Christie is expected to make an announcement regarding the 2016 presidential election before the end of January.

The "State of the State" address is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Jan. 13 in the Statehouse Assembly Chambers in Trenton.