Governor speaks on education, but faces questions on White House Watch video
DES MOINES, Iowa — He might have gone to Iowa to talk about education Monday, but Gov. Chris Christie couldn’t escape the Republican presidential primary elephant in the room.
The governor’s half-hour speech highlighting his proposals to overhaul education in New Jersey was followed by a new round of questions from the national and local press about whether he’ll seek the White House. Appearing in Iowa, the state that holds the first caucus of the campaign season, seemed to only fuel speculation about whether he might run.
The questions came in rapid fire:
Are you running?
“You have to feel in your heart that this is the moment for you to do this,” Christie said. “I don’t feel that at the moment. It’s also a family decision as well.”
Then why won’t you endorse someone?
Because he’s not feeling “enthusiastic” about anyone currently in the field, he explained. “I am under no legal obligation to endorse anybody. I know I will be supporting whoever our party chooses to support,” Christie said.
How about 2016? Was this trip a step for a future run?
“Here’s what I understand about politics: Two months is a long time, let alone five years,” he said. “I’m not out here to lay any groundwork at all about any kind of future aspirations.”
Christie said that when he met last week with a group of donors trying to entice him to run, he told them it was a decision only he could make.
“This is a personal decision because when I’m in that hotel room in Des Moines and it’s 15 below and that alarm clock goes off at 4 o’clock in the morning, none of you are going to be there with me,” Christie said he told the donors.
Christie’s critics back home, however, charged the trip was about politics. “Chris Christie has become New Jersey’s Sarah Palin, continuously traveling around the country to tell people that he’s not interested in running for president,” said state Democratic Party Chairman Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex).
The governor yesterday said the trip was about discussing education and he came at the invitation of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, whom Christie campaigned for last year.
Emphasizing cooperation and consensus, Christie framed his proposals to overhaul public education in New Jersey as an issue that can make or break the nation’s global prominence.
“The great morality that America projects will be lost at the same time and the world will be a lesser place,” he said.
Christie highlighted four policy changes he has recommended in New Jersey, saying that none are a “silver bullet” that will solve all education problems.
He reviewed his plans to replace teacher tenure with a system to review performance on a regular basis, and to determine salaries based on merit. He spoke about expanding charter schools and allowing for a voucher program.
“There are no guarantees of success,” Christie said. “But if we stay on the course we’re on today there is a guarantee of failure.”
Christie, who has made his national brand as an abrasive and controversial political figure, emphasized the need for compromise.
“I don’t have to win every argument. I haven’t won every argument in New Jersey and I don’t think I will,” he said. “We must find common ground on this issue.”
Steve Baker, spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the powerful teachers union Christie has battled with, said the union is ready to talk with the governor if he’s willing to hold “genuine discussions.”
Christie’s office did not respond to questions about whether he plans to hold any meetings with the NJEA.
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• Chris Christie talks education in Iowa, but can't avoid questions about his presidential hopes