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Though National Review reported New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is putting "a lot of thought" into running for president and plenty of political reporters are still eager to play into that idea—the smart money is on Christie not entering the race, even as he prepares for a major speech tonight at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library about "American exceptionalism." Here's what's pouring cold water on a Christie 2012 bid, what fed the hype machine and why he's better off sitting this one out:
His closest allies say he's not running, reports Chris Megerian on NJ.com:
Christie's brother, a well-connected Republican fundraiser, said the governor hasn't changed his mind. "I'm sure that he's not going to run," Todd Christie said. "If he's lying to me, I'll be as stunned as I've ever been in my life."
Three people close to Christie said they were surprised by Kean's comments to National Review, a conservative magazine. They said the two men hadn't spoken in about a week — Christie and Kean gave back-to-back speeches at a Homeland Security conference on Wednesday -— and they insisted that Christie wasn't going to run.
On top of that, sources close to Christie tell Fox News "he has finally made a definitive decision, once and for all, not to run for president in 2012."