Christie visits GOP on Capitol Hill

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) was in the Capitol Wednesday afternoon for a closed-door meeting with GOP senators.

He was paying a courtesy call on Sen. Jeffrey Chiesa (R-N.J.), whom he appointed to replace the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

Then the governor, who’s seen as an early 2016 presidential contender, met with party leadership. He was spotted entering a conference room near Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office.

{mosads}A GOP aide said Christie “asked to drop by for a courtesy visit” while he was in town.

Chiesa and other GOP senators were in the meeting, the aide said.

Christie and Chiesa are longtime friends who had been planning to have a meeting in Washington, said a representative for Chiesa, adding that Wednesday happened to work with both their schedules.

Chiesa is in his final days in office as New Jersey voters go to the polls Tuesday to select a permanent replacement for the remainder of Lautenberg’s term. Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) is leading in the polls and is favored to win.