New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has taken his firmest step yet toward running for president, launching an organization that allows him to raise money for a potential 2016 campaign. While not a formal entry into the race, opening the political action committee is the most definitive sign yet that Christie will seek the Republican presidential nomination. The move comes not long after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced in December he was launching a similar organization, which kicked off an aggressive race to lock down donors and may have drawn 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney into the race. Road to the White House: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie launched a federal political action committee, or PAC, Monday as he seeks to lay the ground work for a likely 2016 presidential campaign
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Christie, 52, has not declared a bid for the presidency, but has discussed national themes in recent speeches
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He was in Iowa, a key state in the primary elections, this weekend for a summit attended by influential Republican activists
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Christie, who many conservatives see as a moderate, touted his ability to appeal to a broad section of the electorate from Hispanics to independents
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According to a poll released last Thursday, nearly three in five registered voters in New Jersey do not think Christie would make a good president
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Christie's popularity was dented over revelations that officials in his administration ordered closures on the George Washington Bridge in 2013
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Earlier this month, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush launched a leadership PAC and a super PAC in preparation for his presidential run
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It's expected Christie will make a decision in the spring
Christie's campaign is likely to focus on many of the themes he's spent years developing in New Jersey, including a pitch that he can expand the @placeholder's tent by appealing to independent, women and minority voters, who helped him win his commanding re-election victory as governor in the reliably blue state.