Sure, the New Jersey governor officially launched his candidacy earlier in the day in his home state, giving a passionate speech in which he promised strong leadership and “a campaign without spin.” But any hope Christie has of becoming the next president of the United States runs through this woodland state of just under a million registered voters....

So the 52-year-old governor will have to collide, again and again over the coming months, with the hardheaded, skeptical voters who make up this state. And he will have to temper his penchant, even his appetite, for bluntness, since New Hampshire voters may not respond well to his more confrontational side....

Democrat James Demers, a Concord-based lobbyist who is advising former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign, said that he expects Christie to do “awful” in the state.

“You can only yell at people and tell them to shut up so many times,” Demers said, referring to some of Christie’s run-ins with voters in New Jersey. “I don’t think people in New Hampshire like that. People do stand up and challenge candidates.”