New Jersey Governor Chris Christie enjoys the beach with his family over the Fourth of July weekend. Andrew Mills / NJ Advance Media

Christie became one of the

Christie has only six months left in office, with the state election taking place this November. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the Republican candidate for governor in November, slammed Christie in a Facebook post on Sunday, saying she sure wouldn't be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didn't have access to state beaches. It's beyond words."

Without a budget agreement by the deadline of July 1, the state government was forced to shutter all but essential operations. During the shutdown, 30,000 government employees were furloughed, according to the Star-Ledger.

It was a scandal made for the internet, with the image of Christie lounging in his beach chair photoshopped into the Oval Office, scenes from classic movies and in the middle of a basketball game.

Explaining how he caught the governor lounging around with his family and reading a Brad Thor thriller,

But when Sunday's weather looked good, and the governor's schedule was open except for an afternoon press briefing in Trenton, I wondered, "What are the chances ...?"

I called the pilot.

"Let's take a shot," I said. "Worst-case scenario is we get some great aerial shots of the crowded and empty beaches and we try again on Tuesday."

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NJ Gov. Chris Christie Dismisses Criticism of Beach Trip Photos - NBCNews.com