Latest poll numbers show Republican candidate and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s campaign is gaining support. He spoke to a group at Saint Anselm’s College in New Hampshire on Monday. He told voters he’s the most qualified to take on Hilary Clinton.

“I will restore courage and backbone to an oval office that has seen none of it for 7 years. Then we’ll see American optimism soar once again.”

He touted his record on national security and education and even got in a jab at republican front runner Donald Trump

“As voters become more frustrated angry voices become more reasonable.”

He had another jab for President Obama and Democrat Hilary Clinton.

“We are 7 years into the Obama administration and his own secretary of defense publicly contradicted the president on the vital question of our preparedness to fight against radical Islamic terrorism. And i have to tell you the truth Secretary Clinton sounds just as clueless.”

The event was full of Christie supporters like Francene Donahue.

“He has a lot more finesse than Donald Trump has and he in honest I think …he’s straight forward and I think people are looking for that.”

Christie is gaining steam in New Hampshire---the latest American Research Group poll show 12% of likely Republican primary voters support him. Chris Galdieri--a politics professor at Saint Anselm’s New Hampshire Institute for Politics says that’s no surprise.

“A couple of things…one is that he has focused on NH pretty relentlessly. He’s basically made this—he’s gone all in here, in terms of retail politics which voters here are very fond of and he’s very good at. He’s also a candidate who is very well suited to a lot of NH Republicans, he is conservative but not a doctrinaire social conservative. He’s running on issues like national security and the economy more so than gay marriage and abortion.”

Although Donald Trump is the current front runner, Professor Chris Galdieri says many Republicans are looking for alternatives. He says there is a big difference between a Trump supporter and a Christie supporter.

“A Trump supporter feel alienated from politics, is very angry about the state of the world….and the place of themselves in it and the place of America in the world. A Christie supporter in terms of policy might not be that different but is just not that extreme. Is not so much worried that other people are getting ahead, but just are more conservative on foreign policy taxes and so on.”

Right now the Republican field is full and it's anyone’s race.