New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is leaning in toward a presidential bid with the creation of a political action committee, which will enable Christie to begin to solicit campaign contributions and lock up major donors.
Paperwork for the new PAC, Leadership Matters For America, was filed Friday with the Federal Elections Commission, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. According to WSJ, Christie’s longtime aide Mike DuHaime will serve as a senior adviser to the PAC.
“We believe there’s a void right now in leadership throughout the country,” DuHaime told WSJ. “We aim to support candidates who are willing to take on tough problems and make tough decisions.”
The announcement comes fresh off a trip by Christie over the weekend to Iowa, where he spoke alongside a host of other potential Republican presidential candidates at the Freedom Summit hosted by Rep. Steve King and Citizens United. Christie was well-received there even though the crowd skewed more conservative.
“I can tell you that you’ll always know who I am,” Christie told the crowd in his speech. “You’ll always know what I believe, and you’ll always know where I stand.”
But Christie’s biggest competition, Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, were far from Iowa, already speaking to party donors and looking to shore up support for potential bids. Romney has not yet launched a leadership PAC or decided whether to run for president, but Bush is already raising money and appears to be leaning toward a bid.
