Republican leaders from Iowa to South Carolina say they haven't received hints of an upcoming announcement Watch video
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Gov. Chris Christie, shown in this file photo, has not signaled to leaders in key swing states that he's running for president, Republican officials say.TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie remained silent about whether he would run for president Monday, but officials in key nominating states said they have seen no evidence he was putting a campaign together with time running out to make a serious bid for the White House.
Christie continued to dodge questions from reporters in his only public appearance, his staff kept quiet and there was a growing sense among some politicians and operatives that it was too late to enter an already crowded battle for the Republican nomination.
The governor and his staff haven’t reached out to key players like Iowa’s Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, who has praised Christie in the past. "It’s been radio silent," said Tim Albrecht, a spokesman for Branstad.
In South Carolina, which has selected the GOP presidential nominee every time for the last 30 years, the Republican state chairman said he’s received no hint of what Christie will do.
"The question if he’s going to get in is, why get in this late, what do you bring to the party no one else has?" said the chairman, Chad Connelly. "I’ve been cheerleading, saying, ‘Hey come on in, the water’s fine, we’d love to have you.’"
He added, "I have not heard from anyone reaching out or anything like that."
One Republican operative with connections to Christie’s camp said the governor’s team has discussed a campaign, but the groundwork needed for a run isn’t evident.
"You haven’t heard of individuals getting the call to begin to move into place," said the operative, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. "I don’t hear that kind of chatter regarding Christie."
The governor has little time to make up his mind: Filing deadlines for early primaries are at the end of the month and could be moved even earlier. And the Iowa caucuses are only three months away.
Candace Straight, a New Jersey Republican donor, said she hasn’t heard from Christie’s camp. "People have called me from all over the country. I don’t know," she said. "I believe Chris is honestly reconsidering and in a day or two he’ll give us an answer."
One person who was taking fresh notice of Christie was President Obama, who responded to the governor’s criticisms for the first time Monday in an interview with ABC News.
Obama said he’s not the "divider" that Christie painted him as in a speech last Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
"The guy’s thinking about running for president," Obama said. "Saying nasty stuff about me probably polls pretty well."
He added, "I have done everything I can to try to get the Republican Party to work with me to try to deal with what is the biggest crisis of our lifetime, and each time all we’ve gotten from them is, ‘no.’"
Christie’s spokeswoman declined comment Monday. Although Christie has had warm words for Obama in the past — they were all smiles on the airport tarmac when the president visited after Hurricane Irene last month — the governor has amped up his criticism. At the Reagan Library, Christie said Obama has abandoned his promise of post partisanship and is preparing "to divide our nation to achieve reelection." He followed that up on Thursday at a Republican rally in Louisiana by saying, "If you’re looking for leadership in America, you’re not going to find it in the Oval Office."
The governor would not take questions from reporters at the Passaic County Courthouse yesterday, where about 10 news trucks parked outside while he attended the swearing in ceremony for a judge.
Christie does not have any public appearances scheduled today. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno also deflected questions about Christie’s potential presidential run Monday, saying she had "nothing to add."
Asked if she was ready to step in as acting governor for long stretches of time if Christie hit the campaign trail, Guadagno said, "That is my job. That is what taxpayers pay me to do."
Last week Guadagno said the governor wasn’t running for president.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), the state Democratic chairman, said the uncertainty surrounding Christie’s decision is damaging his reputation.
"Playing Hamlet is not his strong suit," he said. "For a governor who has tried to portray himself as a decisive leader, this is perhaps the most indecisive anyone can remember him being."
Staff writers Matt Friedman, Salvador Rizzo, Dan Goldberg, Christopher Baxter and the Associated Press contributed to this report.