TRENTON — It took one tiny little tweet to rekindle a firestorm of speculation about whether Gov. Chris Christie is running for president next year. "BREAKING: My sources say NJ Gov. Chris Christie is conducting focus groups in preparation for a possible run for president in 2012," Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Alter wrote on the website. Bill Palatucci, a close...
Gov. Chris Christie receives a warm reception at a Toms River town hall meeting in this June file photo. Despite persistent rumors, Christie says he is not running for president in 2012.TRENTON — It took one tiny little tweet to rekindle a firestorm of speculation about whether Gov. Chris Christie is running for president next year.
"BREAKING: My sources say NJ Gov. Chris Christie is conducting focus groups in preparation for a possible run for president in 2012," Bloomberg columnist Jonathan Alter wrote on the website.
Bill Palatucci, a close friend of the governor who acts as his de facto political spokesman, was at the shore in Cape May on vacation when his cell phone exploded with inquiries from reporters across the country.
"Not true, quote me," he responded.
But as Palatucci and others close to the governor tried to squelch the newest rumor, it was already splashed all over national publications: The Washington Post, Politico, Fox News, MSNBC and many others published stories online.
And just as fast as the firestorm started, it died.
"Another source, close to Christie and v-reliable, says there are no Christie focus groups and nothing has changed. I trust him," Alter, a former senior editor for Newsweek, tweeted an hour later. He added later the "screwup" was because an outside group was conducting focus groups independent of Christie.
But with a renewed chorus of Republicans looking to Christie to join the presidential field, just the suggestion he might be seriously considering it was enough to cause an eruption of speculation. Christie continues to say he’s staying put.
"I don’t know what else to say about this, fact of the matter is I guess I have to resign myself to the idea that until the filing deadline for Iowa passes that I’m going to continue to be asked," Christie said today.
Candidates can enter the race up until the Iowa caucus, set for Feb. 3 but likely to be bumped up.
"It’s really flattering it seems like every time somebody gets in people go, ‘He’s not as good as Gov. Christie, let’s ask him again,’" Christie said. "Okay, that’s nice I’m flattered by that, but I have a job to do here and I’m focused on my job here. I’m not focused on anything else."
In New Jersey, Christie’s job ratings improved following his public battle with Democrats over the state budget, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released today.
A total of 47 percent of New Jersey registered voters approved of Christie, while 46 percent disapproved. That’s slightly better for Christie than a June Quinnipiac poll, when 44 percent approved and 47 percent disapproved.
The poll, conducted from August 9 to August 15, is the first from Quinnipiac since Christie signed legislation to overhaul the state’s pension and health care benefits for public workers, then slashed several programs for the poor in the budget Democrats sent him.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) don’t appear to have benefited from railing against Christie’s budget cuts. Both Democratic leaders saw their approval ratings fall by a few points.
"It’s an awful lot better than governors are doing elsewhere, and don’t forget, this is a blue state," said poll director Maurice Carroll. "He’s hanging in there."
The poll surveyed 1,624 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.
By: Ginger Gibson and Matt Friedman/Statehouse Bureau
Statehouse Bureau reporter Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
Previous Coverage:
• Gov. Chris Christie continues to dispel rumors that he's considering a run for president
• Speculation of Chris Christie presidential run continues after Rick Perry joins race
• Gov. Chris Christie's N.J. poll numbers on the rise while President Obama's ratings drop
• Gov. Chris Christie remains adamant about not running for president
• Gov. Chris Christie should not run for president, majority of N.J. residents polled say