Governor Christie was interviewed by WCBS Monday about his role as keynote speaker at the GOP convention. “I’m not nervous, no. I’m excited,” he told reporter Peter Haskell. Christie says he is now on his 7th draft of the remarks he will make next week in Florida.
Christie was widely thought to be one of the people on Governor Romney’s shortlist for the VP slot along with Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal and a few others. Christie got word that he was not Gov. Romney’s choice a day before Paul Ryan was announced. “I called him and he told me that he had decided to go in a differentdirection for vice president. [He] asked me if I’d be willing to do thekeynote address. I told him that I would be.”
The keynote speaking slot is a nice consolation prize for the New Jersey Governor who spent months last year tamping down speculation that he might run for President himself. Eventually, Christie resorted to saying that “Short of suicide…” he didn’t know how to convince people he wasn’t running. Once he’d convinced people he wasn’t running for President, speculation immediately began over whether or not he might accept a VP assignment.
Known for his direct and often confrontational speaking style, Christie was asked if he would tone down his presentation at the convention. “I don’t think they have any expectation nor have they requested that I have a personality-ectomy between now and next Tuesday,” he told WCBS.
Christie was once considered to be a likely one-term Governor because of the bruising political battles he’d waged in the state against public sector unions. However, in June, he reached his highest ever approval rating at 50 percent. If that level of support holds, he is likely to be able to win a 2nd term as Governor unless another opportunity presents itself. If Romney wins the election, Christie, who was a US attorney prior to winning the governorship, may be on the short list for Attorney General.
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