Chris Christie phoned Barack Obama to congratulate him on his re-election - but loser Mitt Romney only got an email

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Chris Christie, the bombastic New Jersey governor who has been under fire from conservatives for his effusive praise of Barack Obama after Hurricane Sandy telephoned the president after his election win but only sent an email to Mitt Romney, it was revealed today.

He told reporters at a press conference on Thursday that he had talked to Obama. 'We didn’t have a political strategy discussion,' he said. 'I said, "Congratulations on your win last night, Mr. President", he said, "Thank you".'

Asked about whether he had spoken to Romney, he said: 'No. We exchanged emails last night. We haven’t spoken on the phone yet.'

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Friends in a storm: Christie, pictured here greeting Obama on a visit to Sandy-struck New Jersey, called the President to offer congratulations not 'discuss political strategy' he said

Christie, who is up for re-election in New Jersey next year and is a likely 2016 presidential candidate, is partly blamed by some senior Romney aides for the Republican nominee's defeat.

They believe that his outspoken commendations of Obama helped create an aura of bipartisan appeal that was invaluable. 

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Stuart Stevens, Romney's top strategist, has told Mail Online that Romney was 'winning this race by five or six points before Sandy' but 'came out of Sandy one or two behind'. 

Part of Romney's post-Sandy drop was due to his being all but absent from the television screens for three to four days. But conservatives have been quick to condemn Christie, a one-time vice-presidential possibility for Romney, for what they regard as a deliberate undermining of the former Massachusetts governor.

Machinations: Christie had been accused of either being 'politically tone-deaf' or 'purposefully' helping Obama

Thanks Chris: Christie declined to appear at a campaign rally with Romney in the days before the election

When Christie was asked at the time by Fox News if Romney had any plans to visit New Jersey, he said: 'I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested. I've got a job to do here in New Jersey that's much bigger than presidential politics, and I could care less about any of that stuff.'

In an opinion article entitled 'Excommunicating Chris Christie', Brett Decker of the 'Washington Times' blasted Christie as a moderate on guns, climate change and social issues and as being either 'politically  tone-deaf' or 'purposely' trying to help Obama.

'Mr Christie handed Mr Obama a big gift in the form of photo-ops, public hugs and gratuitously complimentary statements about the opposing party's standard bearer.'

On Wednesday, Christie appeared to be at pains to deny that he had been anything other than completely supportive of Romney. 

'I wouldn’t call what I did an embrace of Barack Obama,' he said at a Wednesday press conference. 'I know that’s become the wording of it, but the fact of the matter is, you know, I’m a guy who tells the truth all the time. 

'And if the president of the United States did something good, I was gonna say he did something good and give him credit for it.

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