House Speaker John Boehner said today that he’d like to see New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie take on President Obama in the 2012 race for the White House.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Boehner was asked if Christie would make a strong candidate.
“I do,” he replied, adding that Christie has “done a great job and he speaks English, which the American people like.
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“English, like in plain talk,” he added.
Christie has repeatedly said he is not running for president next year. Many have said he is gearing up for a possible 2016 run.
Christie, 48, has emerged as a GOP darling over the past year since he decided to take on unions and lower taxes in New Jersey.
Boehner also talked up Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, saying, he is a “person with a track record of reform in his state, the kind of reforms we need in Washington, DC.”
Boehner also commented on former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s candidacy, saying that his former colleague “brings a lot to the debate.”
Gingrich will officially declare on Wednesday that he is running for president.
Republicans face an uphill battle in next year’s race given that Obama’s popularity is surging, especially after Osama bin Laden was killed by US commandos last week during a raid in Pakistan.
Boehner said he was troubled that bin Laden was able to hide in Pakistan, but still does “trust them” as an ally in the war on terror.
“I see an ally [in Pakistan], but clearly there are questions that remain about what they knew or didn’t know about bin Laden being in their country,” he said. “I do trust them, but I think it’s a moment when we need to look each other in the eye and decide are we real allies, are we going to work together? And if we are, either you’re all in or you’re not in.”
With AP