Christie on potential run for president: "I'm thinking about it"
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is keeping quiet this morning about a potential run for president. But the Republican served up lots of speculation at an Iowa diner during a fundraising trip, CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reports.
Christie received a rock star's welcome at MJ's restaurant in eastern Iowa.
Fresh off a morning fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association, Christie pledged to return to support state GOP candidates. But the question on many people's minds: Was he testing the waters for his own presidential run?
"I'm thinking about it!" Christie said.
Thinking about it was as committal as Gov. Christie would get, but outside MJ's he continued addressing his presidential aspirations.
"The decision about whether to seek the presidency or not is such a deeply personal one," Christie said.
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Iowa, with its influential first-in-the-nation presidential caucus, is a proving ground for anyone considering a run for the White House.
And for Christie, it offered a chance to get back into the public eye. The governor had been keeping a lower-than-usual profile after the so-called Bridgegate scandal involving lane closures on the George Washington Bridge.
That scandal may help explain in part NBC News/Marist poll numbers released Thursday, which found that 1/3 of Iowa Republicans view Governor Christie unfavorably, a number he was quick to dismiss.
"If you want to be universally loved in this business, then you're the absolute poster boy for being ineffective," he said.
Christie finished up his trip at a fundraiser for Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.
Iowan Becky Kapfer told CBS News she thinks Christie can work with Republicans and Democrats alike.
"I think he can work across the aisle, which I think is great. It sounds like he had a Democratic group to start with, and I'm encouraged," Kapfer said. "I think that's what we need."
Even though Gov. Christie has been non-committal about a presidential run, later this month he'll head to New Hampshire -- another state with early presidential implications.