New Jersey Gov. Christie Released From Hospital After Asthma Treatment

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been released from a hospital Thursday after receiving emergency treatment for asthma.

Christie, who uses an inhaler for asthma, was taken to a hospital Thursday morning after he had difficulty breathing while being driven to a farm in central New Jersey to sign open-space legislation. He was taken to Somerset Medical Center out of an "abundance of caution," Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said.

Christie's deputy chief of staff, Maria Comella, said the governor's EKG, blood work and chest X-ray were all "normal."

Christie, 48, has been quite open about his struggle to lose weight. Despite that, he is widely seen as a potential GOP vice-presidential nominee. Since he was elected to office in 2009, he has thrilled the nation's conservatives with his blunt talk and confrontations with unions. In recent months, he has repeatedly shot down speculation that he is planning to run for president -- much to the chagrin of conservatives.

Dr. Manny Alvarez, the head of Fox News' medical team, said that it's not unusual for someone suffering from asthma to have trouble breathing.

"If he has a history of asthma, with the weather that we've been having, of course with his work schedule, it's not unusual to get an asthma attack," he said. "One would assume that he would take medication to make sure that he doesn't have any kind of attack."