New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will not run for president, according to a source with direct knowledge of the governor’s thinking.That sigh of relief you heard was from Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, who have been trading leads in the majority of polls. While neither has lit up the voters with enthusiasm, they're the ones that the GOP are stuck with.
Christie has long said he’s not ready to run , but had reconsidered in recent weeks and there was speculation he could make a late entrance into the race. Christie thrilled conservatives with a speech last week to Republicans at the Reagan Library in California. And his status as a governor in the blue state of New Jersey made him seem electable in a general election against President Obama.
Of course, with a lackluster showing, GOP bigwigs might attempt to draft Christie to run, or to make a show of it at the GOP convention, but I think that Christie really has no intention of running. He's repeatedly stated as much, and while it's flattering to be called upon to enter the race by many folks, he just doesn't have the fire to run at this time - and he also has calculated that he might have a better chance after completing his first term as New Jersey governor when there may be an open field in 2016.
Those few moderate Republicans had hoped Christie would change his mind because the Tea Party and social conservatives have radicalized the party and pushed it far to the right and don't appear to be electable in general elections. That's why Christie was so intriguing; he was elected in a Democrat-leaning state and has shown himself capable of leading and learning from mistakes (such as disaster response following the blizzard and then the improved response from Hurricane Irene and Lee).
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