For the fifth time since 2012, Gov. Chris Christie will return to Iowa next month, a presidential primary battleground state where he’s expected to attend the Iowa Freedom Summit, according to the AP.
Christie, a prospective candidate for the Republican nomination in 2016, will appear alongside other prominent Republicans at the event, sponsored by the conservative group Citizens United along with Iowan Congressman Steve King.
Other guests include Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Utah Sen. Mike Lee.
It’s the first time Christie will be back in the Hawkeye State since the midterm elections, when he helped prod Iowan Gov. Terry Branstad to re-election victory.
A recent Des Moines Register study found Christie trailing his 2016 Republican competitors in terms of trips to the state — he was sixth among 15 potential primary candidates, Cruz and Santorum among them.
