Richard Bagger

Richard Hartvig Bagger (born March 27, 1960) is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, and former State Senator who later served as chief of staff to Governor Chris Christie. He left the Christie administration in early 2012, and is now an Executive Vice President with Celgene. He is a resident of Westfield, New Jersey.

Life and career Bagger was born in Plainfield, New Jersey. Raised in nearby Westfield, Bagger attended Westfield High School. He received an A.B. in 1982 from the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law. He also was a member of the NJN Foundation Board of Trustees as well as Board Chair of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey and the National Pharmaceutical Council. In December 2009, then-Governor-elect Chris Christie appointed Bagger as his chief of staff. He served in that role until January 2012.

Bagger served on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners, having been confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate on June 28, 2012 and remained on the Board until June 2021. He was Chair of the Gateway Program Development Corporation in 2017, served on the Board of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum while a Port Authority Commissioner, and joined the Board of the Regional Plan Association in 2022.

Bagger was Executive Director of the 2016 transition planning team of Donald Trump, after Chris Christie endorsed Trump and was named Chair of the planning group. After Christie was dropped by Trump as leader of the transition team in favor of Mike Pence, Bagger left the transition team on the same day. and served there until 2021.

Bagger is also an adjunct faculty member of the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University, and a Director of Tonix Pharmaceuticals, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Election history