Christie To Launch National Tour Amid Lane Closure Scandal

Expected 2016 GOP contender

(Reuters)—Battling investigations over the "Bridgegate" scandal in his home state, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie plans to embark on a national tour that will give him a chance to raise money for fellow Republicans, woo conservatives and show party leaders that he is not politically toxic.

Christie—widely viewed as the leading contender for the 2016 Republican nomination for president before the scandal over traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge exploded a month ago—plans to spend the next month crisscrossing the nation as chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA).