Chris Christie preparing to set up leadership PAC for 2016 presidential campaign, report says

[mystery-ak]

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/chris_christie_preparing_to_set_up_leadership_pac.html

By Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

on January 13, 2015 at 7:21 PM, updated January 13, 2015 at 8:10 PM

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie could be setting up a leadership political action committee before the end of the month to help raise money with an eye toward the White House in 2016, according to a published report.

Christie, who concluded his fifth State of the State address today, would use the PAC to finance political travel and raise money from donors, The New York Times reported. It would be Christie’s clearest indication yet that he intends to mount a nationwide campaign.

The newspaper reported the PAC would “likely be overseen by Phil Cox,” whose time serving as the executive director of the Republican Governors Association overlapped with Christie’s chairmanship of the national organization.

The news comes just as other signs Christie is gearing up for a campaign were reported, including billionaire businessman and Christie cheerleader Kenneth Langone hosting a dinner for the governor later this month and reports that the Republican National Committee’s top fundraiser wouldn’t seek another term at his post with the possibility of joining a Christie presidential campaign.

But don’t expect Christie to announce a campaign anytime soon.

The governor’s advisers and supporters insist his timetable hasn’t budged with news that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney may campaign in 2016. Christie is unlikely to make a formal announcement before the end of the spring, the newspaper reported.

Bush already established a leadership PAC.

Christie’s PAC won’t be established before he attends the Jan. 21 swearing-in of Maryland’s new Republican governor. The stop in Maryland will cap off a cross-country tour to nearly a half dozen states to be on hand for inaugural ceremonies of various Republican governors – including some in presidential battleground states.

Christie is slated to be in South Carolina, home to the first presidential in the South, on Wednesday and Iowa, home to the first-in-the-nation presidential caucus, on Friday.

Christie’s chief political strategist, Mike DuHaime, didn’t respond for comme

[libertybele]

Good.  The sooner he announces he's running; the quicker the "wolves" will devour him.  He's not going to last...and that's a good thing.

[libertybele]

Good.  The sooner he announces he's running; the quicker the "wolves" will devour him.  He's not going to last...and that's a good thing.

[Oceander]

Christie is a good exemplar of the fact that positions on the political spectrum are relative to local politics, not to some objective, universal, standard.  In the milieu of New Jersey politics Christie is definitely right of center; in the milieu of national politics he is center to slightly left of center.