Republican presidential candidate Gov. Chris Christie on Friday night announced he will return to Camden Monday to highlight the "transformative community policing effort" he helped launch — mirroring President Obama's planned visit to Newark at that precise time to also discuss criminal justice issues
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate, will compete with President Obama in New Jersey on Monday with a visit to Camden at the precise time the Democratic president is planned to be in Newark.
Both men are expected to discuss criminal justice.
Christie's office announced late Friday that he will go to Camden to highlight the "transformative community policing effort" he helped launch there.
The governor will appear with Camden Mayor Dana Redd and Camden County Chief of Police Scott Thomson to talk about the formation of a county police force in 2012 "that is serving as a national model for crime reduction and positive police-community relations," according to an announcement from the governor's office.
Christie made a campaign stop in the highly Democratic city in July when he touted the police force's focus on community policing that he said has been instrumental in driving down violent crimes. Christie's visit Monday will be in his role as governor and is not a campaign event.
RELATED: Obama to visit Newark next week to talk criminal justice
Joined by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Obama will hold a roundtable discussion on the economic barriers former prisoners face after their release.
Three years ago -- a lifetime in politics -- Christie welcomed Obama when he came to tour the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Sandy. Conservatives across the country have said they resented what they characterized as a "hug" between the president and the governor, which came in the waning days of a close race between Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney.
Since Christie launched his own presidential bid in June, he has amped up his attacks on Obama. Fox News Channel host Greta Van Susteren apologized to Christie in August for mischaracterizing a handshake as a hug.
After leaving Newark, the president will travel to New York to attend fundraising events for the Democratic National Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.