Is Governor Christie Hedging His Bets? [POLL]

A report out today indicates that the decision by Governor Mitt Romney to pick Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate was more about our Governor’s reluctance to join the ticket.

Why you ask?

Among other things, there's something that I’ve felt all along.

That is, as for alluring a prospect as it may have been for the Governor to be the number 2. I think the Governor felt that Romney didn’t have a chance to win in November.

Better to hold onto the job you have now than to give it up only to possibly lose in a few months. And if that were to happen, the chances of a possible Chris Christie candidacy in 2016 would seem remote indeed.

The report states:

Gov. Chris Christie wasn’t willing to give up the New Jersey statehouse to be Mitt Romney’s running mate because he doubted they’d win, The Post has learned.

Romney’s top aides had demanded Christie step down as the state’s chief executive because if he didn’t, strict pay-to-play laws would have restricted the nation’s largest banks from donating to the campaign — since those banks do business with New Jersey.

But Christie adamantly refused to sacrifice his post, believing that being Romney’s running mate wasn’t worth the gamble.

“[Christie] felt, at one point, that [President] Obama could lose this. And, look, there still is that chance. But he knows, right now, you have to say it’s unlikely,” one source said.
The tough-talking governor believed Romney severely damaged his campaign by releasing only limited tax returns and committing several gaffes during his international tour in July.

Certain Romney was doomed, Christie stuck to his guns — even as some of his own aides pushed him to run, another source said.

“There were people around him that wanted him to reconsider, to actually push to be vice president. But he’s known there are real issues here. Chris knows the score,” the source said.

And already the denials have started.

According to this:

The Governor’s closest advisor says the report of Christie’s doubting the Republican ticket could win in November is inaccurate at best.

"From my perspective, the story is inaccurate," Bill Palatucci, Christie's closest adviser, said.
Palatucci called it "crazy" to suggest that Christie feared Romney would lose.

"He's going everywhere for the guy, and I read the polls, and it's extremely tight," he said.
Palatucci declined to comment on whether Christie refused to step down as governor to join the Romney ticket, saying those questions are better directed at the Romney campaign.

On Fox News "Fox and Friends," a spokesman for the Romney campaign said he had just gotten off the phone with Christie, who denied the story.

Senior Strategist Russ Schriefer said Christie "said it's totally not true."

"He used a little bit stronger language than that," Schriefer said. "He was, let’s put it this way, blunt about his denial.”

I'm sure he was blunt, however, were I the Governor, I’d probably deny it too.

But the question lingers: