TRENTON — No matter where Gov. Chris Christie goes these days, the question of whether he’s running for president still follows him like a State Trooper protective unit. Two trips coming up — to Salt Lake City and Iowa — are not likely to tamp down speculation about just what the Republican governor from New Jersey is up to....
Gov. Christie pictured during a townhall meeting in Toms River last month.TRENTON — No matter where Gov. Chris Christie goes these days, the question of whether he’s running for president still follows him like a State Trooper protective unit.
Two trips coming up — to Salt Lake City and Iowa — are not likely to tamp down speculation about just what the Republican governor from New Jersey is up to.
Christie is scheduled to attend an annual conference of the National Governors Association in Salt Lake City beginning today. But it’s his trip on July 25 to Iowa, the site of the first presidential primary next January, that is most likely to stoke more speculation about his Oval Office ambitions.
"What the governor is doing is taking an opportunity to raise his national profile, whether or not he’s particularly interested in running this time," said David Redlawsk, a former University of Iowa professor who now heads the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers. "Iowa is where the activity is."
Christie has denied — repeatedly, emphatically and sometimes with colorful imagery — that he isn’t running for president in 2012, though he hasn’t ruled out a candidacy in 2016.
Christie is traveling to Iowa after a brief return home to address an education summit where the state’s governor, Terry Branstad will be the host. Last year, Christie campaigned for Branstead, and he has made several out-of-state appearances to talk about his education proposals, which include eliminating teacher tenure as it is now known and offering job protection to those who show a high level of performance.
In addition to the education summit, Christie will be the main speaker at a fundraising event for U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) at the home of a Des Moines developer.
And while Christie has said the Iowa trip is not intended as a way to lay the groundwork for a 2012 run, Redlawsk, who wrote "Why Iowa?", said meeting with Republican donors is exactly the kind of steps needed to set up a 2016 campaign.
"It’s too early to look like you’re starting for 2016," said Redlawsk. "But in the context of presidential politics, it’s probably never too early to be doing behind-the-scene stuff."
Iowa uses a caucus system to select primary candidates, making the grassroots organization imperative, Redlawsk said.
"If we’re thinking really long term, you want to meet the right people, also the folks who have the organization or can build the organization," he said.
Iowa will be the third stop this month for the peripatetic governor, who will have the Iowa portion of his travel paid for by the state Republican Party, according to Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for Christie.
He left New Jersey over the July 4th weekend, soon after delivering a controversial budget veto that slashed $900 million in state spending — largely for the cities and social service programs — that Democrats had sought. His destination: Sun Valley, Idado, to speak at a media conference sponsored by Allen & Company, a private investment firm, which is regularly attended by dozens of boldface names.
He then vacationed with his family at an undisclosed location for two weeks. The governors’ meeting beginning today and running through Sunday will be his first public event since he vetoed the budget, leaving a firestorm in his wake.
"Governor Christie attends and participates in NGA both as a state governor and in his capacity as a member of the NGA’s nine-member executive committee," Roberts in a statement. "NGA meetings provide the opportunity to share and gain perspective from other governors on common challenges, best practices and national issues of concern to all state chief executives around the country."
And then there’s Iowa.
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