American Conservative Union chairman Al Cardenas spoke briefly with reporters ahead of the beginning of the CPAC conference -- explaining why he didn't invite New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and insisting that the GOP is "not a home for everybody."

As the conference opens, the GOP's identity crisis -- expand the tent, or try to convince more people to crowd under what's already built -- is on sharp display.

"I'm a firm believer that if the Republican Party's going to have success, it's going to do so by being a conservative party and not a home for ah, for everybody," Cardenas said. "And that's how you grow. I mean, look, you grow your tent by convincing others, and persuading others, that yours is the way, and you build your tent by reaching out to the new demographics of America not with a watered down version of who we ought to be but with a true, real, solid version of who we are."

Cardenas also repeated explanations for why the conference hadn't invited New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to speak at the event.

"This year, for better or for worse, we felt like, ah, like he didn't deserve to be on the all-star selection, ah, and, for decisions that he made. And so hopefully next year he's back on the right track and being a conservative," Cardenas said. "He's a popular figure, but everyone needs to live by the parameters of the movement."

Also not invited was Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who recently signed a transportation bill that included new taxes.

Cardenas approached McDonnell differently, however, saying the conference only had room for one Virginian -- attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, who's running for governor. Cardenas called him the "future" of the GOP in Virginia.

The Republican Party’s internal struggle over how to expand its reach will play out in stark relief at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, with activists locked in a near-civil war over the basic question of who should be part of the movement – and who should not.

This year’s meeting has already made news with its exclusion of notable names from the invite list: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. 

There will be plenty of conservative stars, like Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky, along with 2012 vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan (among other potential 2016 presidential candidates). And attendees will have a chance to reacquaint themselves with familiar names and faces from the not-so-distant past such as Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and the ubiquitous Donald Trump.

But the annual conservative confab comes at a serious and crucial moment for the Republican Party: Its last two presidential nominees lost decisively to President Barack Obama, and its lone instrument of power -- the GOP majority in the House -- has been constantly plagued by infighting between conservative insurgents and its establishment-minded leadership.

And the American right seems as divided as ever over the path forward.

“I think, increasingly, we as Republicans have come across as intolerant and unfocused on the needs of the underserved,” said Fred Malek, a fixture of GOP politics for decades.

“And we need to speak much more to the aspirational needs of people, and not speak about the dependence of the ‘47 percent,’” he added, referencing 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s infamous comments, “but rather how the ‘47 percent’ become part of the 25 percent or 10 percent or 1 percent.”

Ideological fealty to marginalize GOP?
That internal struggle threatens to spill into the open at CPAC, a gathering that has been established as an important gathering for official Republicans, yet still attracts the kind of stalwart conservative activists who have helped to ignite this GOP family feud. 

“I thought it was a mistake to exclude Christie,” said Vin Weber, a former Republican congressman who remains active in the party’s political leadership. “It reinforces this narrow, closed stereotype of Republicans.”

Christie angered conservatives by agreeing to implement insurance exchanges under Obama’s health care reform law, and for praising the president’s handling of Hurricane Sandy just days before the election. McDonnell upset conservatives with his new transportation law, which includes some new taxes.

“I would argue that they do not have too much to offer up in terms of the future of the conservative movement,” Jeff Bell, of the American Principles Project, said of the two governors.

Those warring views cut to the heart of the modern GOP’s internal rift. On one side are conservatives who are eager to excommunicate Republicans who commit the slightest act of ideological heresy. The other faction is composed of Republicans who worry that the party’s insistence on ideological fealty will continue to marginalize the GOP amid a changing electorate.

Though no immediate resolution is in sight, the Republican National Committee will weigh in following its own autopsy of the party’s shortcomings during last fall’s elections. It will recommend improved digital operations and a more robust outreach, but is also expected to emphasize the need for some candidates to speak in less shrill terms about sensitive issues.

“We can’t run the same campaigns. For some, it means that boneheaded comments about rape and women – that’s just not going to fly,” said a source familiar with the report, referencing GOP Senate candidates in Indiana and Missouri who lost winnable races last fall due to their controversial comments about rape.

Romney's first remarks since election
The forthcoming RNC report and this week’s CPAC gathering add up to a potentially pivotal week for the future of the party.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters file photo

Sen. Marco Rubio addresses the American Conservative Union's annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 9, 2012.

And though McDonnell and Christie were excluded from the gathering, other corners of the GOP will be well-represented. Tea Party darlings like Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn. and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will each speak.

Also on display will be conservatives who may hope to unify the GOP as the party’s presidential nominee in 2016. Along with Rubio, Paul and Ryan, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will also address attendees.

The influential conference concludes with an oft-hyped, closely watched straw poll of attendees’ preference in a presidential nominee.

A past winner of two such straw polls, Romney, will make his first public speech since the election on Friday. And former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose national star power has waxed and waned in the scope of a single presidential election cycle, will speak on Saturday.

“There’s going to be a lot of heat, but not much light,” on the presidential front said Craig Shirley, a Reagan biographer and conservative PR guru. “It’s not going to resolve itself until the first stirrings of the 2014 midterm elections.”

Related:

On eve of CPAC, GOP searches for identity, policy principles

Obama's meeting with GOP: Cordial, but no consensus

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:31 AM EDT

It is polls like this that supporters of Hillary Clinton hope will drag the popular former secretary of state into the 2016 presidential race.

In a Quinnipiac poll out Thursday, the ex-New York senator beats all comers in the 2016 presidential field in hypothetical match ups against several top rivals.

The poll tested Democrats Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo individually against Republicans -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, who ran as Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential pick in 2012 against President Barack Obama.

Clinton was the only Democrat to beat all three Republicans, and Christie, who was not invited to next week’s conservative confab CPAC, showed the most strength for the GOP.

Clinton beats Christie, 45-37 percent, Ryan 50-38 percent, and Rubio by an even wider 50-34 percent.

By contrast, Biden would lose narrowly to Christie 43-40 percent. Biden, however, defeats Rubio 45-38 percent and Ryan 45-42 percent.

Cuomo -- son of ex-Gov. Mario Cuomo, who had been urged to run for president in 1988 and 1992 -- loses badly to neighboring state governor Christie, 45-28 percent. He also loses to Ryan, 42-37 percent and would tie with Rubio at 37 percent.

Clinton left her job as Obama’s secretary of state with sky-high favorability ratings -- 56 percent viewed her positively, while just 25 percent viewed her negatively.

Of course, if she were to throw her hat into the presidential arena, her image would likely take a hit, as partisans retreat to their corners. During the height of the Democratic primary in March 2008, for example, Clinton’s favorability was just 37 percent positive, 48 percent negative.

But as the primary campaign ended, and she was able to take on the statesman role of secretary of state, her image has been rehabilitated. 

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 7, 2013 8:57 AM EST

Citing his own experience as a father in the public eye, Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hammered the National Rifle Association Thursday for referencing the president's daughters in a "reprehensible" and "awful" web ad. 

"To talk about the president's children or any public officers children who have -- not by their own choice, but by requirement -- to have protection, to use that somehow to try to make a political point I think is reprehensible," he said at a news conference in Trenton.  

Christie, who has four children, said that his kids had "no choice, realistically" in his decision to become a public figure and themselves be subject to the media spotlight. 

"I think it's awful to bring public figures' children into the political debate," he said. "They don't deserve to be there. And I think for any of us who are public figures, you see that kind of ad and you cringe."

The web ad, released Tuesday night, questions the president's skepticism of the NRA's proposal to put armed guards in every school in America even though the First Family has Secret Service Protection. 

"Are the presidents’ kids more important than yours?”  a narrator asks in the short video. 

Christie, who was criticized by some on the right for praising the president in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, is up for re-election this year. He is commonly cited as a possible 2016 presidential contender for the GOP. 

The popular governor said Thursday that the controversial advertisement undermines the NRA's credibility as an advocate for gun rights. 

"Don’t be dragging people’s children into this,” he said. “It’s wrong and I think it demeans them and it makes them less of a valid trusted source of information on the real issues that confront this debate."

Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, talk as they look over the 9/11 Memorial in New York.

An annual speech by a Northeastern governor focusing entirely on disaster recovery efforts wouldn't normally make national news.

But when that governor is a possible presidential contender, a symbol of Republican infighting and the proud owner of a sterling 73 percent state-wide approval rating, it's a different story. 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is one of several governors whose rumored presidential ambitions offer a larger national platform for annual "State of the State" speeches that can contain hints of their policy ideals, political goals and personalities.

Republicans Christie, Virginia's Bob McDonnell, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, and Wisconsin's Scott Walker have all been discussed as future GOP standard bearers. Democrats Martin O'Malley of Maryland and Andrew Cuomo of New York are also thought to be eyeing national office.

From policies to address economic concerns to commentary on Washington political culture, those who have delivered their State of the Union equivalents have offered glimpses of their governing style, as well as the challenges facing them in their current jobs. 

In his State of the State address Tuesday, Christie suggested little in the way of new proposals, but touted his own record as a reformer and offered a rhetorical pep rally for a state battered by last year's superstorm Sandy.

Slideshow: Chris Christie

Mel Evans / AP

The N.J. politician's straight-talk and tough policies put him in the national spotlight — but after considering a presidential bid, the governor decided he wasn't ready.

Launch slideshow

"Despite the challenges that Sandy presented our economy, I will not let New Jersey go back to our old ways of wasteful spending and rising taxes," he said. "We will deal with our problems but we will continue to do so by protecting the hard earned money of all New Jerseyans first and foremost. "

Christie, who is preparing his own re-election bid in New Jersey, pointedly thanked his Democratic colleagues in the heavily blue state. 

"Maybe the folks in Washington, in both parties, could learn something from our record here," he said.

The relative lack of controversy from the famously blunt Christie Tuesday contrasted with neighboring state head and possible Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Cuomo. 

Cuomo, a popular New York governor and formidable fundraiser, grabbed headlines for his Wednesday afternoon address, during which he proposed a specific new gun policy that would "enact the toughest assault weapon ban in the nation, period."

The outspoken governor dismissed critics who say an assault weapons ban would infringe on the rights of sportsmen and women --an argument echoed at the federal level as the Obama administration weighs gun control measures. 

"I say to you, forget the extremists," Cuomo declared loudly. "It's simple. No one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer. And too many innocent people have died already."

His address included a laundry list of policy measures that thrill the Democratic base, including election funding reform, climate control measures, the passage of a women's equality act and fortified abortion rights legislation.

"Because it's her body, it's her choice!" Cuomo repeated three times to applause from the crowd 

Virginia's McDonnell, whose fast-growing state suffers from a dearth of transportation funds, used part of his remarks to outline plans to overhaul the way roads and bridges are paid for by taxpayers.

The plan would eliminate an existing gas tax -- which is based on overall gasoline volume rather than price at the pump --  in favor of a sales tax hike to help fill Virginia's yawning transportation funding gap.

By tying the transportation funds to sales, the logic goes, the pool of funds for construction and maintenance will grow with the state's economy. But it risks complaint from some in the national Republican base who object to tax increases of any kind. 

The Virginia governor also echoed the rhetoric of national Republicans by underscoring his efforts to make "government live within its means."

And, like Christie, the Virginia governor poked fun at the federal city no more than a few hours' drive away. McDonnell slammed the lack of "bipartisan consensus" in Washington, saying that Capitol Hill is seized by "dysfunctional governing paralysis."

"In Washington, we see debt, taxes, delays, blame, and dysfunction. Here in Virginia we see results, solutions, job growth, surpluses, and cooperation," he said. "What a difference 100 miles makes."

According to TIME magazine, he's "The Boss."

The day the mag's new cover was released, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came on TODAY and significantly tempered his recent criticism of Republicans, calling for President Obama to step up efforts to avoid a congressional showdown over government cuts.

“We've now done what the president wanted to do. He wanted to raise taxes on the highest earning Americans and Republicans have now acquiesced to that, now it’s time for the president to stand up and say, ‘Here’s what I’m going to do on spending,’” Christie told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Wednesday. “He hasn’t done it. He needs to do it. And if he’s going to be a credible partner and compromiser, then he’s going to have to step up and do those things.”

TODAY

This week's TIME cover featured the New Jersey governor with a provocative headline.

Christie’s interview comes less than a week after making blistering comments about fellow Republicans on the Hill for postponing a $60 billion relief package for Hurricane Sandy victims. In his State of the State speech Tuesday, he criticized nation’s leaders as “dysfunctional, dispirited, and distrustful” for their congressional feud over tax cuts last week. 

The governor came under heavy criticism for his praise of Obama following the president's visit to storm-ravaged parts of New Jersey last fall. But Christie told Lauer that his relationship with the president has been limited to Sandy discussions.

“Sandy is and was above politics. … There are people suffering in New Jersey, there are people suffering in New York and they need to be taken care of,” he said, adding that storm victims in the region have waited seven times longer for federal aid than the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Story: Gov. Christie's wife: NJ is 'inspired' by her husband

But Christie acknowledged he believes Republicans are a fractured party in need of repair.

“You’re in politics to win, to get your ideas forward. And we’ve lost two national elections in a row,” he said. “We need to be thinking about doing something different.”

Christie also discussed gun control in the wake of last month's mass shooting in a Newtown, Conn., elementary school. He said gun control, including banning assault weapons, should be part of a larger conversation that includes things like violence in video games and other factors.

“If we don’t deal with the substance abuse issues and the mental issues and that lead to violence, we’re shortchanging this conversation,” he said. “I’m willing to have the conversation, but you’ve got to deal with these other issues; otherwise, you’re being political.”

Christie, whose name has been tossed as a potential presidential candidate in 2016, didn’t mention his political aspirations beyond the current year. 

“The only reason why you get this attention is if you’re doing your job well and you’re being an advocate for the people that elected you and that’s all this is about,” he said. “It’s not about me trying to take control of anything other than take care of the people who elected me.”

Christie is expected to win re-election later this year. Despite his state’s struggling economy, a sizable foreclosure crisis and heavy property tax burdens, the governor continues to rate incredibly high in the polls. 

“I can’t figure it out,” Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, told the (New Jersey) Star-Ledger . “I’ve tried. I’ve polled all the things that should be his Achilles’ heel.”

Instead, his polls show that New Jersey residents love the way Christie got Democrats to work with him in the legislature. 

“Even if you disagree with him on policy issues, you give him credit for putting New Jersey first,” he said.

That was especially true when Hurricane Sandy hit. Christie's numbers skyrocketed during the crisis. 

“Sandy was made for a personality like his to shine," Murray said. "He makes you feel like he’s taking on the pain of all New Jersey.”

Slideshow: Jersey boy: Chris Christie through the years

Courtesy of Chris Christie

Launch slideshow

More: McChrystal on resignation: 'I wanted to stay in the job' 
Congresswomen Photoshopped into group photo 
Christie blasts Atlantic City mayor for 'mixed messages'
Atlantic City mayor on Christie's rebuke: 'Ill-advised and misinformed'  

"We now look forward to what we hope will be quick Congressional action on a full, clean Sandy aid bill — now, next week — and to enactment by the President. We have waited 72 days, seven times longer than victims of Hurricane Katrina waited. One thing I hope everyone now clearly understands — New Jersey, both Republicans and Democrats, will never stand silent when our citizens are being short changed."

-- Chris Christie Thursday in his State of the State address.

FLASHBACK: Jan. 2, Chris Christie news conference:

"Americans are tired of the palace intrigue and political partisanship of this Congress, which places one-upmanship ahead of the lives of the citizens who sent these people to Washington, D.C., in the first place. New Jerseyians and New Yorkers are tired of being treated like second class citizens. New York deserves better than the selfishness we saw displayed last night. New Jersey deserves better than the duplicity we saw displayed last night. America deserves better than just another example of the government that has forgotten who they are there to serve and why. Sixty-six days and counting, shame on you. Shame on Congress."

First Read has confirmed that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) today filed his paperwork for his 2013 re-election campaign.

The AP has more:

The technical step allows Christie to set up a campaign headquarters, hire staff and raise money toward his re-election, said the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak before the governor makes a formal announcement in a few weeks.

[snip]

Christie, who has become a national figure during his first term, is riding an unprecedented wave of popularity because of how he handled the storm. Even Democrats have applauded his hands-on response. He appeared on "Saturday Night Live" in his trademark fleece pullover this month to lampoon his own nationally televised storm briefings.

The outstanding question is whether Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) decides to challenge Christie. Booker is probably the only New Jersey Democrat capable of beating the incumbent governor.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has adamantly insisted that presidential politics are the furthest thing from his thoughts during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, though that hasn’t stopped some from filtering his praise for President Barack Obama through a political prism.

The pugnacious New Jersey governor, who supports Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney over Obama this fall (and delivered the keynote address at Romney’s nominating convention), has heaped effusive praise on Obama’s handling of Hurricane Sandy, the massive superstorm to wreak havoc in the northeast, and especially the Jersey Shore.

Larry Downing / Reuters

President Barack Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie talk with survivors of Hurricane Sandy in a community center while touring damaged areas in Brigantine, New Jersey, October 31, 2012.

“I want to thank the president for coming here today. It's really important to have the president of the United States acknowledge all the suffering that's going on here in New Jersey and I appreciate it very much,” Christie said this afternoon as he and Obama toured the devastation. “We're going to work together to make sure we get ourselves through this crisis and get everything back to normal.”

Obama was similarly complimentary, telling people at the Brigantine community center that Christie, who is up for re-election next year in deep-blue New Jersey, “is working overtime to make sure that as soon as possible everybody can get back to normal.”

The two appeared together, along with the New Jersey congressional delegation, following their tours to give similar remarks on camera.

The mutual praise is an outgrowth of both leaders’ handling of a natural disaster, but it coincides with a crucial juncture in the presidential campaign, with just days to go until Election Day. Obama is trying to preserve an advantage in swing states as Romney barnstorms the country in an effort to subsume the incumbent president.

Christie rebuffed suggestions on Tuesday that there were political implications to his work with the administration.

"I've got 2.4 million people out of power. I've got devastation on the shore. I've got floods in the northern part of my state,” he said on Fox News. “If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics then you don't know me."

And the Romney campaign gave Christie a pass for his work with Obama on Wednesday, dismissing a question about whether the GOP nominee was annoyed by the New Jersey governor’s praise for the president.

“Gov. Christie's doing his job. He's the governor of the state that's been hit by a very, very horrific storm,” Romney adviser Russ Schriefer said in a conference call with reporters. “He's doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing as governor of New Jersey. And the president is doing what he needs to be doing as president.”

That won’t necessarily stop observers from searching for political implications in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, especially so close to Nov. 6.

“I am hesitant to kind of make political calculations about the impact of an event that resulted in the deaths of 50 people and the loss of $50 billion in property,” senior Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod said on a separate conference call this morning. “This was a disaster of huge proportions, and the president is doing what his responsibilities require -- and that includes going to New Jersey, as is what he's done in the case of every major disaster during the course of his presidency, to offer the support of the people of our country, to tour the scene himself, to speak firsthand with the first responder and the elected officials at the scene.”

Slideshow: On the campaign trail

Reuters, Getty Images

In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.

Launch slideshow

Obama will return to the campaign trail on Thursday after canceling three days’ worth of political events. And Romney on Wednesday was mostly tentative in attacking Obama, opting instead for a softer tone and words of encouragement for recovery efforts in the northeast.

Axelrod suggested that the storm essentially washed out several days of campaigning, during which point there was no movement in the jockeying between Romney and the president.

“Wherever you think this race is, it tended to freeze the race because people are focused on the storm,” he said. “That's what's been in the news; normally the election would have been in the news. So I think it's fair to say that that is the case.”

But as a series of polls suggest Romney is trailing in some battleground states, those days might also be crucial opportunities lost.

Just three days before the all-important first presidential debate and the Romney campaign seemed to raise expectations this morning on Meet the Press - a different tone they've taken previously about the meeting. 

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a key Romney supporter, put added significance on Wednesday night's match-up by says "come Thursday morning, the entire narrative of this race is going to change."

The president's senior adviser took that opening and ran with it saying, "If it's going to fundamentally change, that means in seven or ten days from now, you'll see states like Ohio tied, states like Iowa tied, because that's what really matters here." He also added that Romney has "prepared more than any candidate in history."

Plouffe also defended the administration's position about the events that took place in Benghazi, Libya, ultimately leading to the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Plouffe called the notion that the White House withheld information for political purposes, "preposterous and really offensive."  But he also denied that there was an “intelligence failure”.

You can watch the entire broadcast on our website including a lively discussion on our roundtable about the debate, and which question our guests would ask if they were moderating.

Also, don't forget tomorrow to watch the Massachusetts Senate debate David is moderating between incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren.

We'll be back next week. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press. 

The early returns are in, and the winner as the Democratic convention's most ubiquitous and energetic politician so far is Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker. Seemingly everywhere you look, Booker is addressing a state delegation, speaking at a rally, or greeting his fans.

On Tuesday night as a summer storm boomed in Charlotte, Booker won thunderous applause as he addressed the convention on the platform.

"When your country is in a costly war with our soldiers sacrificing abroad, and our nation is facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn't class warfare, it's patriotism," he said, arguing the need for tax increases.

John Brecher / NBC News

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, addresses the Florida delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning.

But the mayor’s appearance on the dais was just his highest-profile one in a series of stops this convention week. On Tuesday morning, Booker brought the Florida delegation to its feet with a rousing speech.

“We can’t make the mistake that they (the Republicans) make of thinking this country is hungry for bash and slash and trash,” he said. “This country is hungry for hope.”

He got a huge laugh with his joke about New Jersey being superior to Virginia – despite the slogan, “Virginia is for lovers.” He said, “In New Jersey we invented the drive-in movie theater,” adding that his mother told him, “You were conceived in a double feature. Sidney Poitier, ‘In the Heat of the Night’ – and ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’”

Recommended: LA mayor: Obama 'being humble' in giving self 'incomplete' grade

Tuesday afternoon, Booker was the leadoff speaker at the Planned Parenthood Action Fund rally at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte. “He ran into a burning building to save a woman’s life,” actress and emcee Aisha Tyler said as she introduced Booker – a reference to his actions to save a neighbor from a fire earlier this year.

Booker told the crowd he’d made a mistake last week thinking he could do his usual late-night routine of simultaneously watching television and eating ice cream. While watching the Republican convention, he said he found that “Ben & Jerry does not mix with Mitt and Ryan ... that ice cream was curdling before I even got it to my mouth.”

He bashed New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie – although not identifying him by name – for proposing a 2010 budget that cut funding for Planned Parenthood, resulting in the reduction of clinic hours.

“They may tell us they love women, but when they do things like that, they are setting all of us back,” he said. When a woman goes to a Planned Parenthood clinic, Booker said, “This is an opportunity for them to get contraception that could prevent the abortion that you are so much against.”

On Monday, Booker was up early to address the Iowa delegation where he got a wildly enthusiastic reception during his 25-minute speech and told that his grandmother was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

"My grandma back in 1918 was born in Des Moines, Iowa ... My grandmother grew up there, my grandmother's siblings went to college there. My family is still spread out all through Iowa ... I'm proud, proud of those roots," he said.

Booker told the delegates that great-grandparents moved from Alabama to Buxton, Iowa which in the early 1900s was a big coal mining town with a large African-American population. Booker’s mention of Buxton got a big round of applause. "Some people know what I'm talking about!" he said.

John Brecher / NBC News

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, New Jersey, addresses the Florida delegation at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday morning.

Related: Iowa Democrats prepare for starring role in fall campaign

It’s not clear where Booker’s relentless energy will lead the mayor electorally. Two possible opportunities await back in his home state: to run for senator if Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., decides to retire in 2014, or to run for governor next year against Christie.

“I think even he may not know yet,” said David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll and professor of political science at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “He's ambitious, but ambition in New Jersey usually runs up against various power brokers. I don't think he'd want to take on Lautenberg in a primary, so the Senate depends on what the current senator decides to do. He has, of course, insisted he will be running again.”

Redlawsk added, “Governor is also tricky, given that Christie's ratings have held up, and that right now you'd have to say he has the inside track for a second term. A loss to Christie would certainly be painful. The Senate seat is far more likely to stay in Democratic hands than Christie is to lose at this point. Thus, if Booker could somehow clear the decks for a Senate run, and Lautenberg retired, that would give him the highest probability of success.”

No matter how high he is able to climb in New Jersey politics, Booker is tirelessly building a national following here in Charlotte – and on Thursday he'll be addressing the New Hampshire delegation's breakfast. 

Don’t call it a comeback. At least not anymore.

Chris Christie proudly touted the “New Jersey Comeback” in both his 2011 and 2012 State of the State addresses. 

But the hard-charging Republican governor said those three words won’t be in his hotly anticipated keynote speech at tonight’s Republican National Convention.

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie looks over the podium during a sound check at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.

"Let’s make one thing really clear,” Christie said Wednesday, per the New Jersey Star Ledger. “There are three words that are not in my speech Tuesday night: ‘The Jersey Comeback.’ So for all those Democrats real worried or got real excited that maybe I’d have to take it out or maybe I put it in, those three words aren’t in the speech.”

There’s a reason for that. When Christie took office in Jan. 2010 unemployment was 9.7 percent. It dropped to 9.0 percent earlier this year, but has since ballooned to 9.8 percent – the highest it’s been in 35 years.

It declined to 9.4 percent when Christie gave his 2011 State of the State Address.

“New Jersey’s comeback has begun,” Christie declared. He added later: “The unemployment rate has begun to drop— and today is below, not above, the national average.”

By his 2012 address, New Jersey’s unemployment rate fell even further to 9.0 percent -- and Christie was going to capitalize. He mentioned “New Jersey Comeback” eight times during the speech.

“Today, I am proud to report that the New Jersey Comeback has begun,” Christie said. “How do we know it has begun? Just look around you. In the last two years, we have come together to address the mess that was our budget. The decline, deficits, and departures that plagued our State just two years ago have been reversed. The budget is balanced. Our unemployment rate is no longer going up, it is coming down. Job growth has been restored – in the private sector, where we want it. New Jersey is back. … People are recognizing the New Jersey Comeback all around the world.” 

But in the months since that speech, the state’s unemployment rate has since climbed to 9.8 percent.

The stimulus, which allocated $17.5 billion to New Jersey, helped keep teachers, firefighters, and police officers employed. But, since Jan. 2010, the state has lost 26,000 government jobs, a 4 percent decline. On the other hand, private-sector jobs have gained 73,000 jobs, a 2% gain. 

Christie is sure to fire up the crowd with what the Mitt Romney campaign is billing as trademark Christie -- “brash” and “bold.”

He is still popular back home. A Quinnipiac poll in July found his approval rating at 54 percent. But his statewide economic record could also highlight for a wider national audience the potential downside of severe budget cuts when it comes to short-term job creation.