In Chris Christie’s first term as New Jersey governor, he nominated a black, gay mayor to the Supreme Court. In 2013, when Chris Christie was running for re-election governor of New Jersey, he  won endorsements for his reelection from black church leaders, and NBA star, Shaquille O’Neal. He eventually won, enjoying majority Latino support in the vote.

Also in his first term, Christie nominated an Indian-born Muslim to Superior Court in Passaic County, N.J. As WNYC’s Matt Katz reports, “when conservative critics alleged that the man, Sohail Mohammed, was going to implement Muslim Shariah law, Christie unleashed his famous temper.

“‘This Shariah Law business is crap,’ he said. ‘It’s just crazy. And I’m tired of dealing with the crazies. It’s just ridiculous to be accusing this guy of things just because of his religious background.'”

This is a far cry from Chris Christie, the presidential candidate, in 2016. He’s running in almost entirely white New Hampshire and Iowa. And he’s been endorsed by Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who had told the NAACP to kiss his rear end and alleged that President Obama hates white people. So what changed.

Listen to Katz’ report on WNYC to learn more.