Christie contemplated running for president in the 2012 election , but ultimately declined to do so . He was vetted , but not chosen , by Mitt Romney as a potential vice-presidential candidate . The Romney campaign was reported to have asked him to resign his governorship if he became the vice-presidential nominee because " pay to play " laws restrict campaign contributions from financial corporation executives to governors running for federal office when the companies do business with the governor 's state . A memo from the campaign attributed Romney 's decision not to choose Christie as his running mate in part to unanswered questions during the vetting process regarding a defamation lawsuit following Christie 's initial campaign for Morris County Freeholder , a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of Christie 's brother , as well as his weight . Christie gave the keynote address at the 2012 Republican National Convention
2012 Republican National Convention
2012 Republican National Convention
Chris Christie 2016 presidential campaign