Christie takes another step toward a 2016 run

As the competition to win the support of donors for a potential presidential campaign intensifies, Gov. Christie on Monday announced a federal political action committee that could lay the foundation for a 2016 run.

The move by Christie, who courted conservatives in the early presidential nominating state of Iowa last weekend, follows the lead of other Republican contenders who have signaled interest in the presidential race.

Christie, who helped raise more than $100 million to support Republican gubernatorial candidates in last fall's elections, has sought to sell his brand as a two-term governor in a deeply blue state who shares the values of his party's base but can appeal to a broader electorate.

In recent weeks, Jeb Bush, a former Florida governor, and 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney have captured headlines for their presidential overtures.

Christie has appeared undeterred, delivering a State of the State address this month in which he criticized what he described as the diminished standing of the United States in the world.

On the heels of his appeal to Iowa conservatives at a "freedom summit" in Des Moines - where he called for a conservative coalition "that covers all parts of the country, all ethnicities" - he is planning next week to take his third foreign trip since September, this time to London.

The announcement of a political action committee - first reported Monday by the Wall Street Journal, and later confirmed by Christie's advisers and posted on his Facebook page - marked an official step toward a campaign.

"America has been a nation that has always controlled events and yet today events control us. Why? Because leadership matters," Christie wrote on his Facebook page in a statement that also appears on the Leadership Matters for America website - reprising a conversation with a Florida woman he has drawn on in discussing America's "anxiety."

"It matters if we want to restore America's role in the world," Christie's statement reads, highlighting a need to take on "entrenched special interests," reform entitlement spending, "and ensure that every child, no matter their zip code, has access to a quality education."

Election law says the committee, which can accept individual donations up to $5,000, cannot be used to fund campaign activities, such as polling. Money raised by the committee cannot be transferred to a presidential campaign, said Michael Toner, a former Federal Election Commission chairman.

But the committee can underwrite a robust travel schedule. In the coming months, Christie is scheduled to attend political events in Iowa, New Hampshire, Illinois, California, and Florida.

It also can hire staff. At least seven people are being paid by the committee, including Phil Cox, executive director of the Republican Governors Association last year under Christie's leadership as chairman. Another was Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's political director, and a third - a former Christie aide - is the outgoing chairman of the New Hampshire GOP.

Christie's announcement comes amid a rush of prepresidential primary activity, with more than a dozen current and former GOP governors and lawmakers in Washington considering running in 2016.

Most members of Congress maintain leadership PACs, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky, potential Republican rivals. Paul used Reinventing a New Direction, or RAND PAC, to finance TV ads for fellow Republicans in November's midterm elections and to lay the groundwork for a possible campaign.

This month, Bush established the Right to Rise leadership PAC, and an affiliated super PAC is also raising money for a possible Bush campaign. His allies leaked the ambitious goal of raising $100 million in the first quarter this year, though his camp later moderated that aim.

Mike DuHaime, a political adviser to Christie who is serving as a senior adviser to the Leadership Matters committee, would not disclose fund-raising goals. He said the committee plans to hire more staffers but wouldn't say how many.

Christie, described on the committee's website as its honorary chairman, "will be part of fund-raising" for the PAC and "can speak at events to promote its mission," DuHaime said.

Fund-raisers are being planned in 10 states, DuHaime said. Bill Palatucci, a longtime Christie adviser, will be involved in the efforts.

At a Monday news briefing on storm preparation, Christie deflected questions about the committee, telling reporters, "You can call the PAC and ask them what their plans are."

Even as Christie moves toward a run for higher office, his candidacy could face scrutiny over the pace of New Jersey's economic recovery, which has trailed those in other states. His poll numbers at home have sagged, and his signature first-term achievement - a bipartisan overhaul of the state pension system - is being challenged in court. An unfavorable ruling could add to state budget troubles, which already have prompted repeated credit downgrades.

And the George Washington Bridge scandal remains under investigation by federal authorities.

Christie's announcement Monday is "a logical step in the progression toward a presidential candidacy," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

While Romney and Bush "have gotten the lion's share of coverage in the establishment category recently," Sabato said, "this, along with his appearance at the Iowa forum, is a way for Christie to take back part of the spotlight."

Rick Wilson, a Florida-based Republican strategist, said the committee was necessary for Christie to prepare for a presidential run. "All the cool kids have one," Wilson said.

The committee could form the infrastructure for a campaign in which Christie will need to raise a significant amount of cash to compete, Wilson said.

Christie "doesn't come into this with the natural center of gravity a movement conservative would have," Wilson said. He "has to make a case he's a conservative leader, a case he's the right guy. That's going to cost money."