First on CNN: Christie heading south for Tennessee GOP fundraiser
Washington (CNN) - Chris Christie is southbound.
The New Jersey governor will headline a banquet for the Tennessee Republican Party in May, a GOP source told CNN on Tuesday, a trip that gives Christie a chance to road-test his message in the South as he prepares for a possible 2016 presidential bid.
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Christie is booked as the headline speaker for the Tennessee GOP's annual Statesman's Dinner on May 30. The fundraiser is being held in Nashville, a major donor hub for the Republican Party.
After winning re-election in blue-leaning New Jersey last fall, Christie is laying groundwork for a possible 2016 presidential bid and has recently started reminding GOP voters of his conservative credentials, even as he grapples with high-profile state and federal investigations into his administration's behavior. During a recent appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Christie won applause when he touted his anti-abortion beliefs to a largely social conservative audience.
Christie has raised money in Florida and Texas for the Republican Governors Association this year, but the Tennessee speech will be his first southern foray that's open to the media.
Besides being a major fundraising hub, Tennessee plays a key role in the Republican presidential nominating process. As it was in 2012, Tennessee is likely to be a Super Tuesday state come 2016 - its primary is currently slated for the first Tuesday in March.
George W. Bush, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are among past Statesmen's Dinner speakers.
Stay there you bum. Most of us in NJ despise you...
Yep repubs, Give your money to Christie, He will take good care of it just like Mitt took you money. Hahahaha
TN . likes freedom ! And lots of room to make a garden . They dont have many tall biuldings to get trapped in an lots of private game rich land for food . And they hav good common sense an take care of all members in the clubs check it out . Its gods to the end also .
Go get those big bucks we got work to do!!
I would hope that he resign before he does this. He is doing a disservice to those in the state because he isn't fully paying attention to the needs of the state. Well, then again he isn't doing that now because he can't see both sides of the ledger.
It's great to see that New Jersey governor Chris Christie will headline a banquet for the Tennesseans against obesity and biodiversity .
This guy lobbed for Bernie Maddof , now he want to be president , no way !
If our President makes a trip to anywhere the haters are always asking where does the money come from, is he working, yada, yada, yada.
Anyone out there wondering why this NJ bully is not staying home while in the midst of a scandal that can bring him down and out? His chances of a presidency in 2016 are at a mere 8% with teaklans at present and that is probably even lower.
Just asking?
He could be a little busy in may, this guy is guilty as sin, very corrupt administration, very. Its been two months of nonstop investigation, and all they have is more questions, he knew not to get involved, his cronies did it for him.
No one give a dime to him...
does these repubs ever stop having conferences. every time you look around they are doing some kind of political event. they sleep, drink, eat, politics. it doesn't matter what it is. political politics politics. Christi you will be under investigation for abusing your power, your awkward stand that you know nothing is laughable. the repubs will accept an accused power abuser, at the same time whale about Obama abusing his power. they will vote for a Canadian to be president, after they spend the last 5 years shouting and screaming that our current president was not legal because he wasn't born in this country. the hypocritical that comes from these repubs has past all logic. they rail about liberty and freedom, at the same time using government to do ultra sound on women liberty, they set about taking folks freedom by killing voting rights, banning gays from going to stores. when will these hypocrisy ends. its like everything they rail against they are moving full speed ahead on violating them. i wont even mentioned the constitution they keeps railing that the president violating, because they are the real culprits. someone need to tell fox news to hire a dem host, to bring a stitch of viability to their right wing spin.
Bridgegate. Christie is not a victim of some liberal witch hunt to destroy any 2016 ambitions.that he may have. His fellows conservatives have already seriously damaged his chances for Republican nomination, perhaps forever, when they demagogued him for thanking Pres. Obama in 2012 following Sandy. Bridgegate is nothing more than a textbook Republican being a politician whose political levers have come to light.