The family members of Chris Christie could barely contain their excitement on Tuesday morning at his long-awaited presidential campaign announcement, which he made from the gym of his former high school in suburban New Jersey.
But Christie's wife, Mary Pat Foster, was the real star of the event, showering Christie and his supporters with smile after smile as her husband paced back and forth on the stage.
His daughter, though, appeared slightly less enthused about the coming months on the campaign trail.
Much of Christie's announcement speech focused on his family's history.
"I not only think about my mom and dad today, I think about my two grandmothers," Christie said at one point. "I know that both of them are watching down today, and part of today is a fulfillment of their dream too."
Lynn Groney, a classmate of Christie's who who introduced the New Jersey governor, referred to his mother, Sandy, as a straight talker who likely inspired the Christie campaign slogan, "tell it like it is."
"Sandy was known to 'tell it like it is” and the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree," Groney said.