The Ups And Downs Of Christie Vice Prez Run [AUDIO]

Last year, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie did a prolonged tease having journalists and pundits wondering if he would change his mind and make a run at the White House. He ultimately decided he would not, but now there is ever-increasing speculation that Christie would run as Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential candidate should Romney sew up the nomination and ask Christie to be his running mate. Christie has left the door slightly ajar.

Yesterday, Christie was a guest with Jim Gearhart on Townsquare Media’s NJ 101.5 FM. Gearhart suggested that being the V.P. would be a pretty sweet gig. Christie said, “They’d have to do two things; they’d have to get a muzzle and a food taster…….He (Romney) hasn’t asked me and I don’t expect that he’s going to……I’m doing the best I can every day to be a great Governor and that’s the job I got elected to and that’s the job I care about and this isn’t a dodge. I’ve been very clear about the fact that I’m not going to rule anything out because I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to do that when I haven’t been asked to do something.”

One political expert says there are very good reasons why now may be the absolute best time for Christie to run for Vice President, but there are equally valid reasons why it’s not a good time at all.

“You never know when you might get asked again and this is your chance to be on the national stage,” says Monmouth University poll director Patrick Murray. “It gives the Governor a big national stage on which to go about and say what he wants to say, of course within the confines of being with the Romney campaign.”

Murray says if Romney doesn’t win then Christie could spend just a few months out on the national campaign trail bolstering his image and then come back and run New Jersey while positioning himself better for a run for President four years from now. Christie is however facing a more unified Democratic Party in the state legislature and that may be another reason to make the run with Romney.

The cons to a ‘Christie for Veep’ campaign also exist. Murray explains, “Now or ever may not be the time simply because Chris Christie by his personality is not a number-two. The real question for Chris Christie is; what happens if Mitt Romney wins and he spends eight years as Vice President? He will then be taking his talking points from the President. He’ll have wait out eight years before he can run (and) there isn’t a good history of Vice Presidents running as sitting Vice Presidents and winning the presidency.”