New Jersey residents had a mixed reaction to Gov. Chris Christie's selection as keynote speaker to the Republican National Convention.

Many believe this speech puts the Gov. Christie on a path for the 2016 presidential nomination if Romney fails in November. Experts are already calling it the most important speech of his political career.

Some constituents are excited about the prospect of bringing New Jersey politics to the forefront of the national media.

"A lot of people will tune into the convention and it's nice to have someone from New Jersey speaking in [a] national spotlight," said Pat Brown, of New Brunswick.

Others are not very impressed.

"I would rather hear from candidates," said Manny Diaz, of Bridgewater.

No matter what side of the aisle, many constituents can agree that Gov. Christie's trademark no-nonsense style will be high-grade entertainment.

Christie tapped to give GOP keynote at convention