passage: Washington (CNN) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declined an invitation to attend a major gathering of social conservatives this week in Washington, opting instead to make a high-profile appearance at a forum organized by former President Bill Clinton in Chicago. Christie's decision was hardly a bombshell: Up for re-election in November in a Democratic-leaning state, the governor can hardly afford to be seen courting Christian conservatives and sharing a stage with divisive figures like Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain. But his absence was a sore point for many conservative activists who traveled to the Faith and Freedom Coalition's "Road to Majority" conference to see a bumper crop of GOP stars, including would-be presidential candidates like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
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  New Jersey's Chris Christie's decision to choose Clinton over Faith and Freedom forum rankles conservatives
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  Some still blame Christie's praise of Barack Obama in Sandy aftermath for Mitt Romney's loss
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  Early Christie supporter says Christie is "showing his other side"
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  NEW: New Jersey Republicans view Christie favorably in new survey
query: I'm not sure what he is right now, with the way he philanders with a variety of people, Democrats like @placeholder.
entities: Barack Obama Bill Clinton CNN Chicago Chris Christie Christian Christie Clinton Democratic Early Christie Faith Faith and Freedom Coalition Florida GOP Herman Cain Kentucky Marco Rubio Michele Bachmann Mitt Romney New Jersey Rand Paul Republicans Road to Majority Sandy aftermath Washington