Obama Says NJ’s Storm Recovery Will Offer Hope to Okla.

Today, Gov. Chris Christie was joined by President Barack Obama to continue in the effort to let everyone know the Jersey Shore is open. Tonight, on his monthly Ask the Governor appearance on Townsquare Media's NJ 101.5 FM, Christie said Obama told him New Jersey’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy will likely give some comfort to those ravaged by tornadoes in Oklahoma.

“He (Obama) said to me, ‘You know I’m really shocked to see things looking as good as they’re looking,’ ” says Christie.

“He said, ‘I think this is going to give great hope to the people in Oklahoma that seven months later here we are looking much, much better than we did seven months ago and them going through a similar type of disaster there. I think it’s going to give them a lot of hope,’ ” Christie said.

New Jersey depends heavily on summer tourism and the cash it pours into the state's economy and today, the pair praised the federal government's role in helping rebuild the state in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

President Visits Asbury Park, NJ

Earlier today at a boardwalk arcade on Point Pleasant, the Democratic president and the GOP governor took turns tossing footballs at a tire. Obama was zero-for-five while Christie made the only shot he took. Neither the steady drizzle nor the loss at an arcade game dampened the president's spirits.

"You are stronger than the storm," said Obama in Asbury Park. "After all you've dealt with, after all you've been through, the Jersey Shore is back and it is open for business [...] When we make a commitment that we got your back, we mean it."

The visit to the Jersey Shore offered President Obama a chance to temporarily move the focus away from the IRS scandal, the deadly attacks at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya and a probe of leaks to the media.

[onescreen item="5077834"]