NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has taken his firmest step yet toward running for president, launching an organization that allows him to raise money for a potential 2016 campaign.
Opening the political action committee allows Christie to begin to hire staff members, build the foundations of a campaign operation and travel across the country as he weighs a final decision on a run. He's not expected to announce a final decision until spring.
The organization, called Leadership Matters for America, comes not long after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced in December a similar organization. Bush's move kicked off an aggressive race to lock down establishment donors and may have drawn 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney into the race.
A mission statement on the Christie organization's website echoes themes that Christie has focused in recent speeches, including remarks on Saturday in Iowa to conservative activists.
"America has been a nation that has always controlled events and yet today events control us. Why? Because leadership matters," the mission statement reads.
Christie is expected to hit the fundraising circuit soon, with events in big money states like New York, Connecticut, Florida and California.
Christie, a former federal prosecutor, has been in the GOP's presidential discussion since 2012, when he passed on the race and was later considered by Romney as a potential running mate.