Despite Disavowals, Christie Meets With GOP Leaders Pitching Presidential Run
PRINCETON, N.J. (CBS) - New Jersey governor Chris Christie keeps on saying he won't run for president next year, but that's apparently not stopping Republicans from asking him to reconsider.
That's the quest of a half-dozen high-ranking GOP fundraisers from Iowa, sitting down today with the governor for a meeting in Princeton.
It speaks, perhaps, more to the party's frustration with the lack of a mass-appeal frontrunner at this point. And while Christie says he is flattered, he's unlikely to change his mind. At least that's how Rutgers University political science professor Ruth Mandel (below right) sees it.
"Unless I hear differently from him, I take him at his word. He's been pretty consistent about this, and he's been pretty much consistent about most positions he's taken," she said today.
So why agree to the courtesy call since it only continues to fuel the speculation?
Well, there's next year's Republican convention, and Mandel thinks Christie is vying to play a major role in Tampa. Then there's 2016 to think about. And finally, he may just like the attention.
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060
