New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie insists he hasn't yet made up his mind about running for president, but he'll be zipping across the country over the next month and a half, visiting 12 states including Iowa and New Hampshire, making speeches and meeting with top Republican movers and shakers.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
AP Photo/Terry Wyatt
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Christie will hardly be spending any time in the Garden State, but most folks probably won't even notice he's gone.

"It's the summer months and people are distracted with having fun and trying to check out of things a bit, so if you're going to be absent from the state, summer is probably a good time to be gone," said Dr. Krista Jenkins, executive director of Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Poll.

Jenkins said as Christie tours the nation, he has good cover for doing so as head of the Republican Governors Association, since that provides some legitimate reason for being gone.

"I also think people have pretty much accepted that he has his sights set on the White House in 2016, and fully expect him to run," she said.

Jenkins said unless there is some major event that would require his leadership, his absence should not be a problem.

"In general, we know the public is largely inattentive when it comes to politics," she said. "Only when something is really commanding their attention -- an event, an election, something of that sort -- are people paying attention. And in the summer, it tends to be a slow month for everyone, particularly in Trenton, so I think it's reasonable to say that their attention is less focused on in state affairs."

The governor travels to Iowa on Thursday, and will then head to Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois and New Hampshire in the coming days.

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