Haslam Welcomes Chris Christie But Stops Short of Endorsing NJ Governor For President

Chris Christie will be visiting Nashville in what feels like pre-presidential campaign stops.  Credit: Christie Administration via Flickr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will be making several appearances in Tennessee Friday, and the visits in Nashville and Memphis seem to be part of some potential pre-presidential race campaigning.

Christie will be making a stop with Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam on Friday night at a downtown Nashville restaurant, where the two will greet people and shake hands with supporters.

Though Christie is a Republican, he’s seen as more liberal than the GOP base in Tennessee.  In the past, Haslam has called Christie a good governor who focuses on results– not partisanship. Despite this, Haslam stops short of backing Christie’s presumed bid for president.

“I mean, I think we should have a Republican Party that’s big enough for a lot of different opinions, and Governor Christie has been an effective Governor, and I guarantee he will have a message the people will enjoy listening to.”

Tennessee Republicans also invited Christie to give a speech at their annual fundraiser on Friday night, saying that they want to learn more about how he got elected in Democratic New Jersey. Though Republicans hold every statewide office in Tennessee, not much progress has been made in the most heavily Democratic areas of Nashville and Memphis.

The tagline for Christie’s talk is “Blueprint for a Red Nation.”