you better believe it. i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] josh: this sunday on "close up," campaigning before the new hampshire primary. does he see donald trump as his main competition? is there a struggle for mainstream vote in the primary?we ask chris christie about his effort to bring voters to see that he' s the most qualified. polarizing figure.

as a conservative alternative to donald trump. can he capitalize on his image? sen. cruz: good to be with you. josh: let' s start with donald trump. do you believe he' s a conservative and argue the alternative? sen. cruz: whether he is a conservative is the judgment these owners have to. it does seem this is becoming a two-man race between donald and me, i' m in first place in iowa and he second. he' s in first in new hampshire and i' m second. we are tied for first in south carolina. second in florida and i' m first in california. we are seeing the field separating. that is the result of conservative uniting behind our campaign. we are seeing the reagan coalition coming back together. if you are going to win, you got to bring together disparate parts of the party,

evangelicals. he' s got to bring together john people, hispanics, african-american voters, women and democrats. here in new hampshire in particular, conservatives and libertarians are uniting behind our campaign. josh: we will see if the polls reflect election day. donald trump, now that he sees it are gaining momentum, he is talking about maybe he is not even qualified to be president, given the fact that you were born in canada, any problems? sen. cruz: as a legal problem, under the constitution from the beginning of this country, the child of a u.s. citizen born abroad is a natural born citizen. my mom was a natural born citizen by birth, so i was a citizen by birth. if you travel abroad, your child is a natural born citizen.

children are natural born citizens. if american missionaries are abroad, their parents are natural born citizens. john mccain was born abroad but has a natural born citizen. mitt romney' s thought it was born abroad but is a natural born citizen. barry goldwater was born in arizona before arizona was a state but he was a natural born citizen. you can understand why the attack is happening. three weeks ago, just about every candidate was attacking donald trump. today, the candidates are attacking me. i understand that donald and other candidates are really nervous. they do not like seeing conservatives uniting behind our distract the media with silly

my view, i have not responded in kind when others attack me, without attacks me, -- when donald attacks me, i don' t respond in kind. voters are interested in substance, who is paired to fight for our rights, bring back jobs and who is best prepared to be commander-in-chief? josh: i will get to that. you were speaking about the ability to bring in the conservative vote. reagan democrats, mainstream republicans. you have a front-runner, donald trump. this is a legitimate question. anytime someone gets in his way or disagrees with him, there is no tip of the cap, all of a sudden that person or organization is a complete joke. do you think donald trump has the ability to bring people together? sen. cruz: i think voters are going to make the determination.

behind our campaign will people are studying the records of the candidates and distinction between what i call campaign conservatives who talk a good game but have not walked the walk and a consistent conservative. it is easy to talk about how you are posed -- opposed to obamacare. in 2013 when millions of americans rose up against obamacare, where were you? i was proud to lead the fight. the other men and women on the debate stage were nowhere to be found. schumer and harry reid and the washington' s post and amnesty plan, millions of americans rose against it and i was proud to lead the opposition and stand with jeff sessions and steve king. you look at the other candidates, nowhere to be found. a lot of people suddenly are talking about illegal immigration. trump talks about this a lot. amnesty bill and barack obama

past, where were the other candidates? when the fight was being fought, there were nowhere to be found. almost like they were in witness protection. the reason voters are coalescing behind our campaign, when harry reid and chuck schumer came after the second a moment right to bear arms, americans stood up to defend our second amendment and i led the fight. the other candidates were nowhere to be found. that is why conservatives are uniting behind our campaign. talk is cheap. but if you walk the walk, do you have a proven record, you say you' re going to stand up to washington. when have you ever stood up to washington? josh: let me ask you a couple questions. you are in new hampshire at a second amendment rally. this is an issue brought up a lot in this race. whether it is expanding background checks, gun show loopholes, more investment into mental health, where do you think improvements need to be

sen. cruz: it is simple and you start with first been supposed the first -- first principles. the first printable i start with is the constitution i have been spending my life fighting for. i do not view the constitution the way obama and clinton view it, and unnecessary inconvenience. i view it as the document that formed this country and our rule of law. what barack obama and the liberals do wrong is they do not distinguish between good guys and bad guys. when we say a horrific shooting like the sandy hook shooting, i am the father of two little girls. as you know, when you are the dad of young children if you see someone murdering kids -- josh: it is awful. sen. cruz: it is horrifying. president obama an opportunity to bring people together. if he focused on going after criminals, republicans and democrats could have come together. my view, violent criminals, we

ton of bricks but protect the likewise terrorism. san bernardino attacks, president obama does and ashley say the words radical islamic terrorism. it is like the democrats are ostriches with their heads in the sand. he suggests taking a live the right to keep and bear arms of do not stop bad guys by taking away our guns, you stop bad guys by using our guns. we need a commander-in-chief focused on killing jihadists before they murder us, not on scapegoating and violating the rights of milling' s of law-abiding citizens. josh: let me state this out before you shut me down. you have your differences with president obama. there are some similarities. both constitutional experts, first-term senator' s having success and may be the first president. that was a big knock on

we have a lot of governors with executive experience. why are you the guy that can deliver on the promise a lot of people are making? sen. cruz: i' m the only one on the stage with a proven record as a consistent conservative. a fiscal conservative, social conservative and national security conservative. we are tired of winning elections and nothing changes. we' ve got majorities in the house and senate. the house and senate just passed a massive on the funding all of barack obama and harry reid' s big government agenda. people are frustrated. if you want to know the difference, do not believe the campaign promises, everyone sounds like a conservative fund they run. the scripture tells us, "you shall know them by their fruits." one of the reasons i' m glad donald trump is in the race, he helped frame the central question of the race, who will stand up for washington -- to washington? who has?

to democrats but leaders in our own party. i am the only one, whether on obamacare, second amendment, stopping in sd or attacking the national security -- stopping amnesty or protecting the national security of our country who has stood with the working men and women, not the elites, not wall street and the washington lobbyists, but the working men and women. the blue-collar backbone of the country tired of being sold down the river by washington. josh: what kind i did occur this week is a procedural question texas. the party chair in texas offered a rules change, it would be damaging if not do away with the new hampshire primary. take that down. is that because of a belief that do things? sen. cruz: i think it is

south carolina and nevada. it is a wonderful thing. i' vemy wife and my little girls adore new hampshire. they love visiting people here. the great thing about new hampshire being first in the nation is that it mandates a grassroots campaign. if we started in a big state like new york or california, it would be all hollywood tv ads, all fake. here in new hampshire you cannot win unless you stand in a dunkin' donuts or vfw hall or living room and you look people in the eyes and they have the opportunity to determine are you telling the truth? that is fantastic. when i heard the party chairman had put in a motion to take away new hampshire' s first in the nation status, i asked him to pull it down. he pulled it down. i think it is critical that new hampshire stay first in the nation so we can vet the candidates, not tv ads but men and women holding candidates

josh: you are doing well in iowa. we will see what happens in new hampshire. you have a campaign trending in the right direction. best of luck. sen. cruz: josh: thank you, god bless. josh: we will be right back with chris christie.

there are two democratic visions for regulating wall street. one says it's okay to take millions from big banks and then tell them what to do. my plan -- break up the big banks, close the tax loopholes, and make them pay their fair share. then we can expand health care to all, and provide universal college education. will they like me? no. will they begin to play by the rules if i'm president? you better believe it. i'm bernie sanders

josh: welcome back to "close up ." when talk of the 2016 race started, chris christie was seen as a tell it like it is politician. then donald trump became the ultimate say anything and get away with anything candidate. it has some people helping christie will fill a void for a traditional candidate whose experience will stand out. the question is, how he convinces voters over the next few weeks. he' s here to answer the question. gov. christie: thank you. josh: we are in the home stretch. the polls are what they are but it is looking like trump is still at the top with cruz. what' s the strategy? gov. christie: same as it has been since july, you get to new hampshire, work hard and meet as many people as you can. you know new hampshire voters, they are really concerned about

what they want is a commander-in-chief who knows how to keep them safe and secure and enhance america' s image around the world. i' m the only person that has fought terrorism on the ground as a prosecutor. they know i will be ready from day one. that is what we talk about as we travel around the state and keep doing town hall meetings and meeting as many people as possible. the strategy is the same as it was in july. josh: the republican field can be broken into different parts. trump and cruz, a lot of people say the only difference between those two are cowboy boots. then you have governors, yourself, jeb bush and john kasich. is that problematic as you try to make the case that some attacks are coming from fellow governors. you try to make the case that need. coming from people that i am for them. you never shoot behind, you should someone next to you or ahead of you. that is a good sign to have people shooting at us.

i have been in new hampshire a attacks. more than coming from jeb or from marco rubio. people will be able to evaluate his record and what he has accomplished in less than one term and senate compared to a federal prosecutor in governor with 13 years of experience. josh: in the state of the union, president obama focused on optimism. what is your take? gov. christie: it should have been called storytime. he said that the syria, policy is working tell that to the 250,000 dead syrians and millions of others running to europe to save lives. he said isis is not a big threat and others are overplaying it. this sounds like what he said, the reason we are anxious because we watched too much cable news. he sees the world as he wishes it was and not the world the way it is.

world as it is and develops world as it is. this president did not do it no hope. sunday. iwant to ask you about the iranian situation with the sailors. this is a tricky and dangerous situation. as you evaluate this, what are you seeing from the boldness of iran to take such a move? what would your reaction be? of respect they have for the president of the u.s. towards them. i think they feel like they can they want. what i would do, much d say three you will never get a nuclear weapon, if i have to use military action to prevent it, i will. there will not be another discussion lebanon agreement

recognize israel. there needs to be regime change in iran. i' m not saying i would send troops over but we need to stand up against a regime that abuses women and hangs homosexuals in the center of her aunt because of their sexual orientation. it' s the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. if we said those things, they would be more reluctant to take the kind of action. josh: regime change is a big topic, people are fearing it becomes a more dangerous world. it is -- people feel it is more dangerous than the people being replaced. josh: if you look at iran over the last 36 years, saying death to america, sponsoring hezbollah, hamas and the houthis in yemen.

troops over but i think we need to stand on principle and say the regime should be changed to get confidence and hope to people who do not want to live under the circumstance that there are people who would have their back if they decided to do this. josh: you have a day job. you delivered the state of the state address in new jersey. as you make the case to the rest of the nation, what was, this was an example of why i can take this to the white house. gov. christie: it is not about talking about things, it is getting things done it let' s talk about an issue big in new hampshire and new jersey, drug addiction. two years ago, more treatment and less incarceration. our prison population has gone down so much in new jersey that i announced we are closing a state prison. t think they are doing country.

it into a drug treatment this elite where folks in the justice system can get drug treatment before they go back on the streets. give them a chance to succeed. 18 months ago we put narcan across our state and trained every police officer and ems person. 2015 was the first time in 4 years we have seen overdose deaths go down in new hampshire. we tell people in new hampshire that we need someone who knows what they are doing to help fix the problem. on the drug addiction problem, we are moving in the right direction. that is the kind of leadership i will bring to the country. tackling real problems and solving them and moving them in the right direction. josh: you talk about reform and that is an example of it. one of the things people are talking about here is, as new hampshire does deal with this, the creation of a registry for convicted heroin dealers like the sex offender registry. is that something you would be in support of? gov. christie: something i'

happy to take a look at. it worked very well in megan' s law, which began in new jersey. megan was killed by a convicted sex fender and her parents fought to get megan' s law. new jersey has a history with these types of things. it is something i would be willing to look at. josh: we only have a couple minutes left. in a few weeks, how do you get through? do you think people are listening when you make the case that you are the guy? do you change it in the last week? gov. christie: i don' t think so. people want to see consistency. they like to see what are the things you believe, articulate them directly, fairly and take their questions. folks in new hampshire four questions taken and answered and we' ve done 48 townhouses across the state. wednesday. when i get back to new hampshire

week, we will get back to new hampshire and do our 50th town hall. we are making strides and it is moving us up in the polls and in the esteem of the new hampshire voter. we are looking forward to february 9. josh: have you identified an area you need to have? when it comes to the governors, the pundits, for the governors there is only one to get out of here. gov. christie: if there is only want to get out, it is going to be mine. i' m going to make sure we beat governor bush, casey and huckabee. josh: character and leadership is going to be a consideration. it up and criticize personally donald trump or ted cruz. is there a time when you do have to say look, this is the difference between he and i and this is why i am the person?

there' s a difference between talking about doing things and getting them done. i get them done. i disagree on aspects of the immigration plan and on the fact reform plan. calling. i' m not going to get into bickering on the stage in the less and less as republicans. m going to keep my eye on the ball, beating hillary clinton. if we weaken ourselves and the primary, we will not be able to beat her. here is one thing new hampshire voters should know, i' m the that person to be prosecuting the case against hillary clinton. josh: you' ve got to unite the party. ted cruz says he' s the guy who can unite the party, bringing reagan democrats and whoever. what do you make of that and why are you the guy that can unite? gov. christie: i find it hard to believe that a guy in a red state who has only dealt with

that is what we did in new jersey, in a blue state. not only got elected against an incumbent governor who spent 33 million dollars attacking me in 2009 but got reelected in 2013 with 61% of the vote. that is not talking about uniting people, that is getting it done. i will be able to do that with our nation come november 2016. josh: best of luck to you moving forward. thanks again. we will be back with political

josh: welcome back to "close up ." joined by wmur political reporter thunder space of -- john distaso. as we try to figure out what is going on, this is a jump on the republican side. john: on the top you have cruz challenging trump. it is not close here but nationally, people are watching the national stage. who is going to end up being the second, third place, it is a big battle. trump does not have it wrapped up. you have to say he' s the favorite now. it is sort of a circular shooting gallery. josh: we like to say iowa, it does not matter what happens in i will, new hampshire voters make up their mind. but maybe this time what happens in iowa will have an impact on

john: it could be. people are watching. more with the social media and everything out there all the time on a constant basis, folks in new hampshire are not isolated and we are watching what is happening. it could be. every cycle is different. sometimes we overturn iowa. more often than not, but there are a few times where we uphold or go along with iowa. josh: we will see how much trump and cruz duke it out. the governors are kind of taking swings at each other and trying to make the case. from your analysis, is that bad collectively for them? if one of them tries to break out? john: maybe they believe that they have no shot at beating trump and the idea is to be the governor alternative to donald trump. we will see which one emerges. josh: we are seeing things heat up on the democratic side. john: it is getting nastier now

extend his lead and has overtaken hillary clinton in iowa. there is back and forth with regard to guns, health care. and even chelsea clinton got into the act a little earlier last week. criticizing bernie sanders. josh: it' s going to be interesting. bill clinton has been up. we will do this again next week and talk about it. john: that much closer. josh: thank you. that will wrap up this addition of "close up new hampshire." we will be back next week. have a

for regulating wall street. one says it's okay to take millions from big banks my plan -- break up the big banks, close the tax loopholes, and make them pay their fair share. then we can expand health care and provide universal college education.

no. will they begin to play