Gov. Chris Christie ate lunch with billionaires the day after the midterm elections.
The New Jersey Republican, who also serves as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, enjoyed lunch on Wednesday with billionaires Steve Wynn and Richard LeFrak at the Four Seasons Grill Room in New York City, according to Bloomberg.
Christie also shook hands with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who was brought to the table by Julian Niccolini, a partner in the restaurant. Niccolini noted that the patrons of his restaurants were worried about things other than Tuesday’s elections.
“My customers, they don’t care,” he said, according to Bloomberg. “Their pockets are getting so full they don’t know where to put their money.”
Christie helped raise $102 million as RGA chairman this election cycle — and it paid off, as there are now 31 Republican governors.
“It was a very benign conversation, it was happy,” LeFrak, chairman of New York-based real estate firm LeFrak Organization, said. “It was a completely social occasion, just exchanging pleasantries.”
Wynn is a casino resort developer who was heavily involved in the revitalization of the Las Vegas strip. He donated $200,000 to the RGA last winter, according to the Boston Globe.
Art dealer William Acquavella was also at the table, included in on discussions of art auctions and Larry Hogan’s surprise win in Maryland’s governor’s race.
LeFrak, who has donated to both Republicans such as Eric Cantor and Democrats such as Hillary Clinton, said they did not discuss Christie’s potential presidential bid in 2016.
“A lot of us would think he would be a good candidate,” he said. “But that was not the subject of the conversation.”
Should Christie decide to run in 2016, he’s looking at stiff competition. A RealClearPolitics average of polls has Christie polling fourth behind Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The polling, however, is very close. Christie only trails the leader, Paul, by a percentage point.
