Christie nominates chief of staff as attorney general

(Reuters) - New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie on Monday said he will nominate his chief of staff, Kevin O'Dowd, to be the state's next attorney general. O'Dowd, a former federal prosecutor in New Jersey, must be confirmed by state lawmakers. Both Democrats and Republicans issued statements of support for the selection on Monday. Christie's last choice for the post was controversial. He previously picked Paula Dow, a Democrat and the state's first African-American top cop. As attorney general, she declined to join other mostly Republican-led states in a lawsuit challenging Obamacare. Christie appointed his previous attorney general, Jeffrey Chiesa, in June to fill the state Senate seat left vacant when Frank Lautenberg died. Jay Hoffman has been acting attorney general since then. (Reporting by Hilary Russ; Editing by Bernard Orr)