The Hill News

Republican strategist Ed Rollins on Monday downplayed the latest surge in rumors that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will jump into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and instead argued in favor of another possible candidate.

Christie “ought to stay running New Jersey,” Rollins said on Fox News’s “Kilmeade and Friends” radio show.

“If I were advising him, I would tell him not to think about [a presidential bid],” Rollins said. “I can’t imagine Gov. Christie spending the next four or five months in the winters of Iowa, traipsing to the places he’s got to go in order to be a viable candidate.”

Rollins, who was Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) campaign manager in the presidential race until earlier this month, said the only rumored candidate he believes is still viable is former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

“It’s never too late for Gov. Palin,” Rollins said. “She plays by different rules! .”

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