Wolf, Christie amid the chatter of governors association meeting

WASHINGTON - One is a Republican well into his second term, has a foot on the national stage, and is eyeing bigger things - namely, the White House.

The other is a Democrat who just marked his first month in office and is still establishing himself in Harrisburg.

At opposite ends of their tenures, both Gov. Christie and Gov. Wolf were in Washington this weekend as the National Governors Association and the Republican and Democratic Governors Associations held winter meetings.

Christie has been battered in the polls and press lately but is still in the mix as a potential presidential contender for 2016, as evidenced last week by a trip to New Hampshire and meetings with fund-raisers here in recent days.

But the New Jersey Republican held no public events this weekend, keeping a low profile despite the presidential chatter dominating the halls of the governors' gathering.

Christie's name still came up, though, when reporters spoke with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker - a potential GOP rival - and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, whose state hosts the first presidential nominating contest.

Branstad said Christie, despite falling poll numbers, ongoing investigations, and a bad spate of press coverage, still has a shot in the Hawkeye State.

"Oh sure," said Branstad, a Republican. "Iowans, they don't make their decisions right away. They want to meet the candidates. They want to hear their visions and their plans. I think it's a wide-open situation."

He noted that Christie was scheduled to attend the Iowa Ag Summit on March 7 - and seemed to urge other presidential hopefuls to do the same.

"It's very early and Iowans do respect hard work and tenacity," Branstad said. "What happens on March 7 could make a real difference."

Christie spoke in Washington on Thursday night at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce's annual "Walk to Washington" event but did not attend the National Governors Association's public sessions. Aides said he did meet with fellow governors and fund-raisers.

His designated seat was empty between that of Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and Connecticut's Dannel Malloy on Saturday as panel discussions began at the J.W. Marriott.

Reporters, meanwhile, swarmed Walker, who discussed his outlook on 2016 and said there was no tension between himself and Christie, saying they and their families are friends.

Christie's top political adviser, Bill Palatucci, said in an e-mail that the governor had been active.

"Over the past ten days or so he was in Iowa, Chicago, Greenwich [Conn.], New Hampshire," and the Republican and national governors events, Palatucci wrote, "all with great receptions."

Aside from Christie and Walker, other governors or former governors seen as potential Republican presidential candidates include Florida's Jeb Bush, Texas' Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and possibly others.

Only Walker was at Saturday's gathering.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert - explaining how he became the National Governors Association's vice chair - joked, "I am the only governor who's not running for president, so I'm available."

Wolf, new in his job and presumably also not thinking about such lofty goals, walked through the conference largely unbothered by the media.

At the White House on Friday, after a meeting with President Obama and other Democratic governors, Wolf said he had been in office less than five weeks, "so I have a lot to learn."

He said he planned to spend the weekend "listening and asking a lot of questions."

Veteran governors said the conference offers a chance to bring home good ideas from other states.

"There were those on my staff who didn't like it when I came back, because I usually came back with a notebook full of things that we should be looking at," former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman said in a telephone interview.

Despite leaving office last month, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett attended the governors' events, saying he was meeting with old friends and colleagues, but also trying to raise money for Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia this fall as part of the World Meeting of Families. He is an honorary cochair of the event.

Corbett, a Republican, said he had not spoken with Wolf since the new governor took office.

"When you come into office you're really busy," he said of Wolf, "and I'm busy unpacking back in Pittsburgh and trying to entertain our dogs."

Corbett said he had focused on his five grandchildren - none of whom were born when he took office - and plans to visit Arizona with his wife, and see the Phillies and Pirates in spring training in Florida.

While Christie aims for a national run and Wolf seeks to get his administration rolling, Corbett said he had no plans for what comes next.

"It's sabbatical," he said.