Just do it.
That’s the message to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie yesterday from senior Republicans and his own top advisers: It’s time to jump into the presidential race.
“America is in a crisis, and none of the current candidates or the president has leveled with the American public about what needs to be done to rescue our future,” said New York ex-Gov. George Pataki.
“This country needs a straight shooter and a proven leader. I urge Chris Christie to run for president to fill the void and lead America forward,” said Pataki, who went public yesterday after privately urging Christie to run.
Christie’s senior advisers are “making calls” to supporters and activists in key places who they believe would be critical to a 2012 candidacy, one of those involved said yesterday.
Christie, who wound up a national fund-raising tour for other Republicans yesterday, has set Sunday as his decision deadline.
He continues to be deluged with private appeals to run. “The pressure is way beyond anything you can imagine. The longer it drags on, you worry that you go from making and building relationships to alienating” people, one person close to Christie said.
But The Post found plenty of political leaders ready to throw in with Christie.
“He’s definitely our strongest candidate in November,” said Rep. Peter King (R-LI). A Republican ticket headed by Christie would be competitive in key states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio and would solidify chances in Florida, he said.
“He’s he closest we have to putting together the old Reagan Democratic coalition,” King said.
Nassau County GOP leader Joe Mondello was also enthusiastic. “I’d lead the parade for Christie to run,” he said. Mondello said Christie “has the right amount of humility and aggressiveness. He reminds me of Ronald Reagan.”
And former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato said Christie would have the ability to galvanize the center-right. I certainly would consider supporting him.”
Some political analysts have suggested Christie couldn’t appeal to the GOP base. But King said, “His record is more conservative than Romney’s and may be as conservative as Rick Perry’s.”
D’Amato said it would be Mitt Romney who would have trouble connecting with the GOP base, while Perry would turn off independent voters.
Two new polls gave conflicting accounts of Christie’s chances.
One national survey, conducted by The Economist and YouGov.com, found that Christie’s entry would make it a three-way GOP race. Of likely primary voters, 15 percent said they’d cast ballots for the Garden State governor, 15 percent preferred Romney and 14 percent liked Perry.
But another poll, by Fox News, found 39 percent of Americans — and 33 percent of Republicans — said they didn’t want him to run. Only 32 percent of voters and 40 percent of Republicans said they wanted him in the crowded race.
Besides primary voters, Christie would need deep-pocketed donors. He would have to raise about $20 million in the next three months to be competitive in the early primary contests, said political strategists.
Raising that much money is one of the huge hurdles that a Christie campaign would have to clear before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus.
Iowa will likely move its voting to Jan. 3 now that Florida is moving its primary to Jan. 31.
“With all due respect to Governor Christie, he has no campaign infrastructure, no organization in any of the early states, he has limited national name ID among primary-voting GOPers and no national fund-raising base,” strategist Tony Fabrizio said.
But many major Republican donors have been waiting to see how the race shapes up before committing big bucks.
As The Post reported yesterday, Christie’s wife, Mary Pat, has told her husband she will support his decision no matter what.
“She doesn’t really want it for the family, but really has given him the green light,” a top source said. “She doesn’t want to be the excuse he might use for not running.”
King said Christie’s time is now, not 2016. “From a political point of view, you should take your opportunities when you can,” he said. “It may not be there in four years.