EXETER, N.H. — Protesters hassled both Mitt Romney and Chris Christie at a joint event. Their reactions were a little different.
As hecklers shouted "Mitt kills jobs," Romney — the front-runner in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary — took a diplomatic approach: "I'm happy to have you guys express your views. ... Next time do it with more courtesy."
Later Sunday night, when protesters began shouting "Christie kills jobs," the New Jersey governor was not so diplomatic.
"Really?" Christie said. "Something may go down tonight but it's not going to be jobs, sweetheart."
Christie, seen as a possible running mate for Romney should he win the nomination, attributed the protesters to President Obama and his supporters.
Obama has "encouraged these people to be angry at Mitt and angry at me because we stand up for what we believe in," Christie said.
"Mr. President," he added, "you're up there in the family quarters of the White House, put your feet up and don't worry about it. Mitt Romney is going to bring people together."
As Reuters put it: "Mitt Romney might want to take a lesson from Chris Christie on how to handle protesters at his Republican presidential campaign events."
This story first appeared in USA Today.