Gov. Chris Christie shot down the suggestion he has a love-hate relationship with the state Senate president – then showered Steve Sweeney with a bit more affection than the Democrat would probably like.

“It’s an all-love relationship for me,” Christie said of Sweeney on NJ 101.5's Ask The Governor program Monday. Sweeney, (D-Gloucester) is a likely Democratic candidate for governor in 2017.

Christie was asked about Sweeney by host Eric Scott in the context of Christie’s nomination to the Supreme Court of Superior Court Judge David Bauman, whose 2012 high-court candidacy was never taken up by the Senate.

After Democrats began criticizing Washington Republicans for declaring they wouldn’t consider any Supreme Court nominees from President Barack Obama this year, Sweeney told Star-Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine he wouldn’t let the Senate vote on any future Supreme Court candidates Christie offers in New Jersey – “terribly ill-tempered,” Christie said Monday night.

But Christie then went on, at length, on his cooperation with “my partner” Sweeney on issues such as the 2 percent caps on property tax levy increases and arbitration awards. He also discussed the additional money public workers pay toward their health benefits and pensions and the freeze on cost-of-living adjustments for pensions.

“We have been very good partners, and that’s why when things go off the rails on things like this, I don’t understand it, because all those things I accomplished to bring greater fiscal soundness to our state, Steve Sweeney had to do that or it wouldn’t have happened,” Christie said. “They’re complaining in Washington, D.C., about the Republicans potentially holding up a nominee for 11 months. They’ve held a seat open for six years. Six years. It’s outrageous. And I’m not going to stand by for it anymore.”

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