The nation is anxiously waiting to hear Chris Christie's decision on whether he will comply with the urges of party elders to join in the 2012 presidential race. The race has largely come down to just two candidates - Mitt Romney and Rick Perry - but the Republican Party is hoping to add a more likeable candidate to the ballot (Hunt).
Christie, the former Massachusetts governor, is known for his budget-cutting policies. He unsuccessfully ran for presidency in 2008, which positions him well for the upcoming election as the Republican Party has a history of nominating candidates who have previously lost. Earlier, Christie turned down the chance to represent the Republican Party because he wasn't "arrogant enough", but he's since been changing his mind after GOP elders, like Henry Kissinger, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush, asked him to reconsider (Hunt).
Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, and Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi, have both denied candidacy. The Texas governor, Perry, quickly withdrew from the race, and Minnesota Representative, Michele Bachmann, fell to the background after announcing her candidacy (Hunt). .
From a political point of view, Christie could easily raise enough funds for his campaign, although his competitors obviously have a pretty good head start. However, because of his position as a Republican governor of a Democratic mid-Atlantic state, Christie could easily fill the niche between Romney's business background and a more personable candidate (Hunt).
However, political aides for candidate Perry believe that Christie will suffer the same problems that Perry did after starting his campaign so late in the game because he won't be able to make a strong stance on the major issues that voters are focusing on. "I don't actually know where Christie is on abortion and guns and things like that, but there may be people on the conservative side who have problems with that," said David Carney, the top strategist in Perry's campaign.
