When a group of at least five like-minded Iowa Republican donors board a private jet bound for Princeton, N.J., on May 31, their challenge will be as clear-cut as it is difficult: to convince Gov. Chris Christie that -- whether he likes it or not -- he owes it to his party and his country to run for president.
"I'll just speak from my heart and will try to let him know there's a call to duty like I've never seen before," Gary Kirke, a West Des Moines businessman who will be among those making the trip, told RCP. "We have a lot of great guys that could be great candidates, but we don't have great campaigners. I think Christie could be both."
Christie, a first-term governor who became a star surrogate on the 2010 campaign trail for Republican candidates nationwide, has consistently and emphatically ruled out running for president in 2012, citing his lack of desire to hold the nation's top office and his view that he is not prepared to do so.
But by agreeing to meet with the key activists from the nation's first voting state -- whose avowed primary purpose is to convince him to change his mind -- he has created an impression that he might be open to persuasion. As recently as Monday, Christie batted away the possibility. Asked about the feasibility of a presidential draft movement, he replied, "I think those days are gone."
Respectfully, the five Iowans beg to differ. The leader of the group is Bruce Rastetter, a top campaign contributor to Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's successful 2010 run; Rastetter first reached out to Christie's chief political strategist, Mike DuHaime, a couple of months ago about making a trip to New Jersey.
After some initial scheduling difficulties, DuHaime carved out some time for the dinner and extended an invitation to Rastetter late last month.
"Just because Governor Christie is not running doesn't mean he is not going to be somebody who cares about who the eventual nominee is," DuHaime explained. "So to the extent that he can build relationships with people who are going to be important to the process, we view it as a good thing for all sides. But it shouldn't be viewed as something more than it is."
Rastetter and the other members of the group first met Christie during a Des Moines fundraiser that the outspoken governor keynoted for Branstad last October. At that event, Christie held court before a packed house of 1,500 attendees, whose response to him was overwhelmingly positive.
Branstad later told RCP that the Christie event was by far the most successful fundraiser of his decades-long political career and publicly declared Christie's well-honed, tough-talking riff to be the most inspiring speech he had witnessed since Ronald Reagan stood behind a microphone.
Although Branstad said that he took Christie at his word about not being a candidate, in an interview with RCP the Iowa governor seemed almost as if -- were he not otherwise inclined to remain neutral in the race -- he might be tempted to join the Iowa donors' cause.
"If he were to become a candidate, I think he'd find some governors that would be interested in helping him," Branstad said. "He has the courage of his convictions, and he tells it like it is. And I think those are attributes that would serve him well, not only in Iowa but across this country, especially at this time. I think people are tired of being lied to by politicians."
Rastetter, who will lead the political pilgrimage to New Jersey, echoed Branstad's guarded caution -- coupled with a thinly veiled hope that Christie might see the light. "We in no way have any commitment that he will either run or reconsider, but we think it's important to encourage him," Rastetter said. "I think the country needs someone with his leadership style."
The dinner will be held in the governor's mansion dining room and will mirror similar events that Christie has hosted with likely presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty. Christie will be joined by some of his top aides and is expected to listen to the Iowans' pitch and take their questions.
The donors plan to hone their proposal to Christie before setting out to deliver it in person at the end of the month, but they each sounded as if they have the crux of their appeal already written out in their minds.
Dr. Michael Richards, a former chief medical officer of the Iowa Health System, said that his concerns about the health care reform law have been a prime reason for his interest in Christie -- someone who Richards believes has both the policy chops and political sparkle to take on President Obama effectively in a general election.
"We all know that it's a personal sacrifice," Richards said of the prospect of Christie setting out on a grueling presidential campaign. "Our sense is that he has that certain ‘presidential something.' "
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