TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie placed third in a hypothetical poll of Iowa Republicans asked who they would like to be the party's presidential nominee in 2012. The poll, commissioned by the website TheIowaRepublican.com, found that when given the option of candidates who are in the race who have not yet declared or have even said they're not running,...
Gov. Chris Christie during a town hall meeting at the Toms River National Guard Armory in June.TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie placed third in a hypothetical poll of Iowa Republicans asked who they would like to be the party's presidential nominee in 2012.
The poll, commissioned by the website TheIowaRepublican.com, found that when given the option of candidates who are in the race who have not yet declared or have even said they're not running, Christie placed third.
Christie will visit Iowa in two weeks to speak at an education summit being sponsored by Republican Gov. Terry Branstad.
The poll placed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in first, followed by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and then Christie. Of the 500 "likely caucus attendees" polled the last week of June, 13 percent said they would support Christie.
Christie bested former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Herman Cain, who both received 7 percent.
The poll first asked about only candidates who have declared that they're running, which put Bachmann in first. The addition of Christie to the second cost the Minnesota congresswoman the most, with her total dropping 22 percentage points, the poll found.
Of those polled, 35 percent said they think Christie should run for president, while 35 percent said they would not like him to run.
"That number suggests that Christie has a very high ceiling should he choose to enter the Republican race for president," the poll reported. "It also could indicate that his standing in the poll would increase significantly once people are convinced that he is actually serious about running."
Previous coverage:
• Gov. Christie denies plans to run for vice president
• Gov. Chris Christie should not run for president, majority of N.J. residents polled say
• Gov. Christie wouldn't get more votes than President Obama in race for White House, poll says