Governor Christie won’t run for president, Republican source says

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to announce Tuesday he has decided not to run for president, according to a GOP source with knowledge of the deliberations over whether the governor that major-league Republicans have been soliciting for a presidential run could pull together a national campaign this late in the game.

Christie has scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. His office declined to comment on the topic of the conference, but all expectations were that Christie would address the escalating speculation that he was weighing a last-minute run for the GOP nomination.

{mosads}”The fact of the matter is logic dictates that the magnitude of that task, whereas a month ago it would have been possible,” the source said. “There isn’t the structure in place.”

Despite vocal calls for him to enter a GOP field that has underwhelmed many in the Republican establishment, Christie has said for months that he would not run in 2012. Yet in recent days, he has softened his tone, ducked the question or referred to previous statements instead of repeating that he wouldn’t run, ramping up speculation he was reconsidering.