Chris Christie is getting ready to leap into the already crowded pool of the GOP's 2016 hopefuls, insiders say. Sources tell Politico that the NJ governor is in the final stages of preparation and plans to finally confirm the long-rumored bid with an announcement next week. Christie has been making speeches across the country in recent weeks and has dropped major hints at a bid, including saying his family is finally on board, Politico notes. But while supporters say there's still plenty of room for a GOP establishment-friendly candidate, Christie has been on the scene too long to be seen as a fresh face or a rising star—especially in light of the long-running bridge closure saga.
Christie's biggest problem may be his lack of popularity even in New Jersey, where a poll released yesterday put his popularity rating at 30%, down around 40 points from its peak in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. "The good news is that none of his potential presidential opponents have emerged with a decisive lead yet," pollster Krista Jenkins at Fairleigh Dickinson University tells the Inquirer. "The bad news is that he is the governor in a state where a sizable majority give a thumbs down to his leadership." Other recent polls gave Christie 4% support among Republicans in Iowa and 5% in New Hampshire, where he recently hired more staffers, New York magazine reports. (Darth Vader is still better-liked than all the candidates on offer.)
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