Chris Christie to Announce 2016 Presidential Campaign on Tuesday
Christie was once considered the GOP frontrunner, but "Bridgegate" was damaging.
— -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, once the front-runner in pre-campaign jockeying for the GOP presidential nomination, is planning to formally kick off his campaign on Tuesday in Livingston, N.J., a source familiar with Christie's plans said today.
The announcement is not much of a surprise in light of Christie's recent political moves and visits that have all but telegraphed his intentions.
The governor said he was going to wait to make any formal announcement until after the state budget is enacted and that could be done as early as today.
Officials with the campaign and governor's office were not offering any comment today.
Christie is scheduled to take caller questions during a monthly radio appearance tonight.
Christie comes to the presidential race in a far more challenging position than he and his allies thought he would when they were making their calculations in 2013 and 2014. A series of political and financial problems in New Jersey, coupled with a massive lane-closure scandal at the George Washington Bridge, transformed the front-running, tough-talking governor into a candidate that many analysts view as little more than an also-ran.
Christie also faces a daunting challenge in a crowded field. He is widely viewed as too moderate for Republican voters in Iowa and South Carolina -- two key early battlegrounds of primary and caucus season. And it remains to be seen whether he can make enough headway in New Hampshire, Nevada and Florida to be a factor.
The announcement is expected to be held at Livingston High School, Christie's alma mater. A Republican source told ABC News that the announcement is scheduled for 11 a.m. Christie is then planning to head to New Hampshire, the state where he believes he stands the best chance of early primary success.
In recent days, though, his team has examined a number of options for the kickoff, trying to avoid imagery that could remind people of scars and battles of his more than five years as the Garden State's chief executive.
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