Chris Christie may be the next Republican ready to jump into the 2016 race.
The New Jersey governor, who revealed he has no regrets about not running in 2012 amid calls to do so, said he’s finally ready for a White House run.
“I wasn’t ready,” Christie told Yahoo News. “And in the end, remember something: Everything that everybody said back in 2011 about me running in 2012 was all theoretical. It was all based on the inherent assumption of ‘He’ll do well if he performs well.’ Well, that second part of the sentence is really important. The only way you’re going to perform well is if you believe in your heart that you’re ready to be president. And I didn’t. And so there was no way I would have won in 2012. I wouldn’t have, because I wasn’t ready.”
When reporter Matt Bai asked Christie if he is ready for a 2016 run, the New Jersey governor quickly responded, “Yes.”
Christie said he could wait until June to make a final decision on whether or not he will run for the Republican presidential nominee.
Should he decide within the next two months, he would join three already-announced candidates: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Christie would have a long way to go, however. A RealClearPolitics average of polls gives him 5.5 points — which lands him eighth among 12 potential candidates.
