Christie's absent, but his brother makes the rounds

MINNEAPOLIS - The elevator doors in the Hilton opened and a man stepped off and headed for the bar.

"It’s Chris Christie’s brother," said a veteran newspaperman, staring at the familiar facial features of the newcomer in a scene that all evening took in a steady flow of New Jersey Republicans.

The white-haired, Chris-Christie lookalike made his way over to GOP operative Bill Palatucci, who was seated at the bar, and they began talking. He took an extended handshake from a stranger and acknowledged, "Yes, "I’m Chris Christie’s brother."

The word out the there among GOP sources is that Todd Christie is here to keep the idea firmly fixed in people’s heads that his brother, the U.S. attorney in New Jersey, is going to be running for governor next year.

"You know, I support Christie," said Burlington County Republican Chairman Bill Layton, a sentiment echoed often in Republican circles, and verified most loudly perhaps by the state party chairman, Tom Wilson.

A former Bush fundraiser, Todd Christie wouldn’t get into the details of his presence in Minneapolis. He offered "no comment" to questions about his brother’s designs on challenging Corzine’s in 2009, saying only, "I came out here to see the president speak tomorrow night. I came out to see the president."

The news on Sunday evening was that Hurricane Gustav was making its way straight for New Orleans and that Bush, originally slated to speak on the opening night of the convention, wouldn’t make an appearance here after all.

"I’m disappointed," said Christie.

Moments later, Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore entered the bar and he and Palatucci and Christie retired to the back of the adjoining restaurant for a private conversation.