. >> well, that's what i thought was interesting about the bobby jindal quote about more people pullingart than in the cart, because the presumption there, of course, is that the people that are getting the medicaid expansion are essentially loafers. >> you know, bobby's been in the cart all his life. when he made that statement, i was really, really? come on, man. you know, we've got a state -- we're a hospitality state. in all seriousness, when you've got people making $10, $11 an hour, that's poverty wages, but they get up and go to work every day. they fall in that gap. so, we need medicaid expansion here because those are the people who are not being insured, 400,000 in louisiana. >> i want to bring in congresswoman donna edwards, democrat from maryland. congresswoman edwards, we've got 30 states that are governed by republicans with republican governors, and we've got about eight of those in which they've accepted the medicaid expansion, two in which it's still contested, and the rest are basically turning it down. does this continue to be surprising to you? because i think if you

chris christie, bobby jindal, all of them. >> i apologize, but you need someone who bridges that gap between ted cruz and the others and what they are calling traditional republicans with broad appeal with governor chris christie and bobby jindal. you are closer to the average than they are. >> we are thankful to bring that together in 2010 and i'm hopeful he will be with me in 2014. i think there's a number of governors like that. we have to govern and we have tt be optimistic that we are doing all this. that is why i say turning to the states is what we need to do and where we need to go. because we are bridging those gaps together and showing that republicans can be firm and conservative and could ultimately chariot to the center and win. >> is a little bit of soul-searching. admitting you were wrong. but it's something that we don't always see it. it might be a subliminal message. >> i think there are a number of lessons and there are those that talk about austerity is not the answer and reform is and we really are trying to have a focus with real people in politics. we expect ou

number two still to bobby jindal. has time healed all wounds is all forgiven?are some things forgotten. >> reporter: i think there were things he did that was colorful. and there were things that he did that i think have offset some of the realities of, and the issues of his electorate, right? he went off to prison, and there were numerous times he was facing grand juries. i think people liked the character, the jokes, the fun, and he also was a pop list, so there were times they were able to just pay people, give people money. what critics have a problem with is that money didn't go to invest in infrastructure. they look at states like texas and say look at schools in texas those were schools where there was investment where in louisiana the money didn't necessarily go into investment. and those critics were angry, could win the populous but not necessarily following where the dollars went. >> so can he be govern again? >> that and $2.50 will get you on the subway in new york. i'm not a political an cyst, certainly. but he is in his mid-80s. he only wants the

do thing that bobby jindal made a mistake? scott?ott's trying to make it. >> you snknow what, the preside of the senate in florida said the first two or three years are great. we're concerned about the out-years bought medicaid is taking up 25%, 30% of the budget. >> you're sympathetic? >> i'm sympathetic to the arguments but i'm where scott is on this. if you can figure out a way to make it viable and sustainable, they should probably take the medicaid money. i say is that only because this idea, this libertarian dream that we can do nothing on health care reform. and why people continue taking their children to the emergency room at 11:00 at night, if that's their primary -- that ends up costing us so much more than an organized, conservative program. >> joe scarborough with a logical book that it doesn't always work in america. my friend, thanks. >>> trivia, 1936, the last time there was no senator on the presidential ballot thanks to today's winner jordan suddeth. we'll be right back. and... wow. this is your best ever. thank you

bobby jindal outgoing chair will be working together, traveling the country, raising money, trying toring attention to races around the country. that gives him political cover to make trips and talk to important donors. you can't separate working on behalf of rga as well as the state of new jersey and own personal political positions, you can't tease those out. it's certainly been talked about quite a lot here. >> and at the news conference you asked him about his criticism of washington, which, of course, means majority house. lets play a little bit of that. >> everybody. the fact is these people's job is to run the government. that's what they were sent there to do. the frustration many feel is they are a headwind instead of a tail wind. that's not productive for the citizens we're all privileged to represent. >> so he's not going to ease up on the criticism of washington even republican house leaders, kelly. interesting platform for chris christie. thank you so much out there in skates detail. coming up we have more of our special coverage marking 50th anniversary of president john

peter, first, governor christie has to take the job from louisiana governor bobby jindal, also touted around as potential presidential candidate. what's the mood at the conference? that is all of the chatter? >> reporter: ub ppublicly the governors, staffs are not talking about the behind the scenes jockeying that took place last year when both chris christie and bobby jindal wanted to run the rga in 2014, next year, big midterm year, when there's 36 governor races, could be a good platform, launchpad to run for president. they're talking not about that but winning races next year. there's a variety of press conferences, governors here meeting with donors and that's one big reason why this event and this conference and this new job for chris christie's so important to him, because it does put him in touch with the republican party's biggest financial supporters. rga is one of the biggest and most important political committees in the country. they can raise larger sums of money. christie gets to meet people running the committee around the country and next year traveling all over the

, who need medicaid, who are telling bobby jindal, go, bobby, go, resist the president. resist the president? this is health care for you! >> you know, final point to you, governor dean. i mean, just imagine, could you possibly imagine when you were governor not taking the medicaid money and then literally having to face your constituents and say, i don't want barack obama to succeed? i mean, as a governor, i can't imagine. >> i think -- these guys are going to pay an enormous price. i can see the attack already. sold out his own people to be president. and then you will have poor people on the screen who could have used health care and didn't get it. they're foolish. what they're trying to do is terrified of the tea party. they're trying to appease the tea party. and they're so far out of the mainstream. they don't know they're out of the mainstream. i think that we ought to keep the focus on making this work. i wasn't a big supporter of obama care. i thought we should have done it differently. >> single payer. >> it will work other places and i think our job as america

." >> backed tacitly by bobby jindal. and by the tea party. eye 15 first primary points. he is favored in has more money and he loses to a guy named vance mcallister. a self-made businessman and owns some subway sandwich shops. the big thing he had going for him, he argued that louisiana should accept medicaid. because the district is one of the poorest in the country. thanverage income has less -- household income is less than 15,000. i have never been to washington, d.c. and have never run for office before. every incumbent on to be shaken in his or her guccis about now. if you have someone with a story to tell of success and unbossed and unbought in 2014, that is compelling. was so farr guy right. >> the other one accused him -- he had come to washington. it is a good place to visit. >> is there a chance of immigration reform after all? ?> is immigration reform dead absolutely not. >> if they want to cap that thing up into five pieces, as long as all five pieces get done, i do not care what it looks like as long as it is delivering on those core values that we talked a

the guy christie is seceding as chair is louisiana governor bobby jindal.were both gunning for the chairmanship in 2014. and it was chris christie who worked behind the scenes to trump jindal. an unnamed gop operative told cnn, it just kind of took people by surprise. bobby had paid his dues. was it a good move by christie's? absolutely, just rubbed some people the wrong way. and so the former future of republican politics, bobby jindal, passes the torch to the current future of republican politics, chris christie, who doesn't mind speaking for everyone. >> everyone's excited that, you know, i'm going to take over the chairmanship and i'm getting great responses from donors and from my fellow governors. so i'm looking forward to it. going to be a great year. 36 races, going to be fun. >> everybody's excited. but while chris christie thinks everybody is excited about his new job, he seems to forget about the lack of jobs in his own state. while the nation sits at a 7.3% unemployment rate, new jersey is more than a point higher and every state that borders ne

just a short time ago, he arrived in new orleans, greeted by governor bobby jindal, to push for expanded trade and job creation through infrastructure investment. but when it came time for his prepared remarks, the president unexpectedly shifted into a full-throated defense of his signature legislative policy, and problems with that wretched website. >> i promise you, nobody has been more frustrated. i wanted to go in and fix it myself, but i don't write code, so -- we're going to fix the website, because the insurance plans are there. they are good and millions of americans are already finding that they'll gain better coverage for less cost, and it's the right thing to do. >> and that robust emphasis on solutions extends to the controversy over the cancellation of some policies in favor of new ones meeting minimum standards. in an exclusive interview with our own chuck todd, the president addressed the if you like it you can keep it furor. >> i am sorry that they, you know, are finding themselves in this situation, based on assurances they got from me. we've got to work hard to make sur

you've got your governor, bobby jindal is here.ve got secretary of transportation anthony fox who is here. we have cedric richmond, your outstanding congressman. >> cedric brought down a bunch of colleagues from congressional caucus for important work they are doing. not that they are going to enjoy themselves at all that they are here. we are thrilled to see them here. you have one of the best mayors in the country in mitch landr u landrieu. i just flew down with your senator who by coincidence has the same name, mary landrieu. she's traveling around the state today and doing unbelievable work on behalf of the people of louisiana. i just want to say nobody is a tougher advocate on behalf of the working people of louisiana than mary landrieu. we're very, very producud of th work she does. finally, i want to thank gary le grange, keith and chris, they showed me around the port. this is one of the -- by the way, anybody who had a seat, feel free. i notice a few folks standing up. if you don't have a seat, keep on standing. i don't wa

we talk about rick perry and bobby jindal and maybe be on a ticket. you certainly hear from governors they would rather see someone who's led a state be on the ticket as opposed to washington. one thing they agree about -- they're all running against washington even though washington is certainly republican -- republicans are part of the issue there. they say that's something their party has to deal with. they think governors have a better story to tell. that's the theme we have been hearing during their convention here in arizona. tamron? >> all right, thank you very much. >>> still ahead, we'll talk with the methodist pastor who was suspended after officiating his son's same-sex wedding. reverend schaefer said he was called by god to be a lgbt advocate, but is he willing to lose his position to fulfill that calling? [ chuckles ] wife beats rock. and with two checks a year, everyone wins. [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call 866-906-8500 now. [ dennis ] zach really

bobby jindal, nikki hailey. >> got to run the clock out.ristie, come on. >> i think christie would be a stronger candidate. no question in my mind. >> it seems like everybody's excited about chris christie and hillary clinton. >> i'm mike pence. you heard it here. >> we should mention amy -- >> now we're just naming everyone. thanks to donna brazile and tim pawlen pawlenty. >> you can also weigh in on our fire back question. would you vote for for a 2016 presidential candidate who did not have peerns in washington? from the left, i'm van jones. from the right, i ' am s.e. cup. >>> out front next, george zimmerman arrested and charged. >> he had broken a table and at one point pointed a long-barrelled shotgun at her. >>> and toronto's crack-smoking mayor acts out again and again. >> i didn't push her. >>> plus lady gaga's revelation. >> i was speaking up to 15 to 20 marijuana cigarettes a day with no tobacco. >>> let's go out front. >>> good evening, everyone

going on, of course, you have several governors both scott walker, chris chris if i in new jersey, bobby jindaling we're outside the washington morass. so it's time for somebody who can show a track record of getting something done, sometimes in a bipartisan fashion. certainly chris christie in new jersey is staying this. so they're sort of capitalizing on the anti-washington feeling. you have three strong republican senators who have made some, you know, major media plays this year, marco rubio and rand paul and, of course, ted cruz who is taking a different tact saying we'll use our platform to show we're fighting against president obama's agenda and run strongly to the right to sort of capitalize on those anti-washington sentiments in that way and obviously you'll have two different camps competing next year certainly and going forward to 2016 in the primary to sort of position themselves. >> right, right, let's go ahead and move on to liz cheney running for senate and come out strongly opposing day marriage but strongly supporting her sister's several union but only in private. how do you t

expand medicaid to the working poor.that suggestion was quickly rejected by republican governor bobby jindal. the president went on to call on congress to approve government spending for roads, bridges and ports to increase exports from america. exports are picking up around the globe. in china -- shipments jumped in october, signaling solid economic recovery. china is now on track to meet its growth target for the year. in germany, a surge in exports is drawing criticism from european union officials. the country's chancellor angela merkel was warned germany must curtail an export surplus, to prevent an imbalance of trade within the entire euro zone. fallout continues from the government shut down. the office of management and budget finds: 850 thousand furloughed employees will receive 2 billion dollars in back pay for the partial shutdown that lasted for nearly 3 weeks. the shutdown also took a toll on national parks which lost nearly 500 million dollars in revenue during the closure.the budget office also says the irs was forced to delay 4 billion dollars in tax refunds. blackberry's int

louisiana governor, bobby jindal. jeb bush, wisconsin governor, walker. north carolina governor, nikki hailey. new mexico governor, susana martinez. mary fallon. >> are you assimilated to all of those names? it's an easy question. who has the best chance to be the gop front runner? >> it's a good list and the winner will be ran paul. >> is that right? >> ran paul will win the whole thing. he can win in iowa, new hampshire, and he's the only candidate that can win all three. >> what is vegas saying? >> i don't think they have a book on this yet. >> chris said that months ago maybe even and i first thought it was absurd, but i come around to agree. ted cruz in there, he can look like the reasonable candidate. >> let's look at cruz's biography. cruz control. >> i intend to speak in support of defunding obama care until i am no longer able to stand. >> senator ted cruz catapulted to the limelight with his 21- hour filibuster against obama care. born 1970, age 42, in canada. married, two daughters. public policy, 1992, harvard law school, jd, 1995. law clerk,

i think if i was bobby jindal, i would look at jan brewer in arizona, tea party rewho. she eats scorpions for breakfast, according to title of her book. she was on the fascial stage of immigration a few years ago and she decided to go ahead with the medicaid expansion and it's now become a person is that non-grataf. i was jindal looking at 2016, i would look at that example and say, woe, i better back off there. >> the key is, i don't think he's running for re-election again in arizona, so this is sort of the end of the line for her so what, could, is there anything the president the white house the supporters, what can they do to get the governor of lousiana the government of mississippi, states like this, what can they do to get get them to say, okay. we will sign won medicaid expansion. >> i think the time will be the main thing here. it's been more than a year. lolts of time has passed. a few republican governors have actually signed on. so if you think of them, there are about 30 republican governors, i'd say almost a half signed on to expanding medicaid and tear s

and you put him, bobby jindal, that we like, that you don't. >> that's right! >> i got it. it. and you put a whole string of our stars out there that are running states, the nikki haleys, the bobby jindals, the mitch daniels, the former governor now of indiana. you put all those out there and put them on the stage, our problem is, our stage is going to be so large, that the republican party is going to have to define who they are. nobody thought barack obama was going to win. he was in last place. it's early yet, but the nice thing is, is everybody here today is worried about chris christie and we on the republican side are right proud of him. >> there is no doubt that the gubernatorial bench, and governors are easier to elect to the u.s. presidency, that the gubernatorial bench is just deeper for republicans. but that said, i mean, part of why we wanted to point out that chris christie and ken cuccinelli are the same kind of republicans substantively is like once you start digging into a chris christie, can he really win in a big, in a presidential election? >> and the rea

his last name of big name surrogates were senator marco rubio, anti-abortion guy, rand paul, bobby jindalmike huckabee, rick santorum. those were his last list. where is this gender gap coming from? how did the republicans lose this governorship?

his last name of big name surrogates were senator marco rubio, anti-abortion guy, rand paul, bobby jindalmike huckabee, rick santorum. those were his last list. where is this gender gap coming from? how did the republicans lose this governorship? nbc news again, projects tonight that the winner of the gubernatorial race is mcauliffe. stay with us. msnbc's election coverage continues with the last word and lawrence o'donnell. >>> good evening from new york, i'm chris hayes and that epic music can only mean one thing, it is election night in america. we're following a couple of key races.

bobby jindal pushes every day on tax policy and regulatory climate for us to be more competitive.ick scott in florida, i guarantee you that guy is working double overtime to put policies in place that make me uncomfortable. understand, although it is uncomfortable, it will make us better. and at the end of the day, it is better for our citizens. i don't go to california to pimp jerry brown. i really don't. i go to pimp the legislature to do the things that are right for their people. unless we're there and talking about, listen, there is an alternative -- i mean, i am standing in laguna beach talking to 30 individuals who were curious about our little at a campaign and they came to listen to what we were talking about. ,nd the sun is going down touching the pacific -- laguna beach. we are at the montage hotel. what an incredibly beautiful part of the world. of i said that is exhibit a how government could screw it up so bad that you would leave that. that is the type of competition that will make this country stronger. putting taxvernor's and really torry and legal policies into p

his last name of big name surrogates were senator marco rubio, anti-abortion guy, rand paul, bobby jindalmike huckabee, rick santorum. those were his last list. where is this gender gap coming from? how did the republicans lose this governorship? nbc news again, projects tonight that the winner of the gubernatorial race is mcauliffe gubernatorial race in virginia is terry mcauliffe. "first look" is up next. >>> good wednesday morning. right now on first look, the voters have spoken with the winners in the books and the country set on a new path. >>> and the man at the center of the dolphin's bullying scandal speaks out. >>> a drunken stupor, a crack pipe and the man who says he feels a thousand pounds lighter after apologizing. plus senator rand paul on what will make people leave him the hell alone. a and a look at the earth once the icecaps melt. we start with election day highlights in two high profile races. first to virginia where democrat

his last name of big name surrogates were senator marco rubio, anti-abortion guy, rand paul, bobby jindalmike huckabee, rick santorum. those were his last list. where is this gender gap coming

bobby jindal zero. [applause] bobby jindal is here. [applause] we had your outstanding congressman.applause] he brought down a whole bunch of his colleagues from the congressional caucus for some that theywork, not will enjoy themselves at all while they are here. we're thrilled to see them all here. you have one of the best mayors in the country. [applause] down with your hastor hubei coincidence the same name, mary landrieu. issues traveling around the state today and doing unbelievable work on behalf of the people of louisiana. i just want to say that nobody is a tougher advocate on behalf of the working people of louisiana then mary landrieu. we are very proud of the work that she does. [applause] to those say thank you who showed me around the port. the -- by the way, anyone who has a seat, feel free. you do not have to stand up. ac, keep on have standing. i do not want you to hurt yourself. is is one of the busiest port complexes in the entire world. millions of tons of steel and food every single year. i just found out that you also handle a lot of the country's coffee, which

his last name of big name surrogates were senator marco rubio, anti-abortion guy, rand paul, bobby jindal santorum. those awere his last list. where is this gender gap coming from? how did the republicans lose this governorship? nbc news again, projects tonight that the winner of the g

rand paul, anti-abortion republican guy rand paul, and anti-abortion republican governor guy bobby jindaland anti-abortion rick santorum. and the anti-abortion family, the duggars, 19 kids and counting. there was another one brought in, a blast from the past. the long-time republican governor, scott walker. governor scott walker did not draw a particularly good crowd for ken cuccinelli in virginia in the closing days of the campaign. but not for a lack of trying or a lack of congruant politics between the two men. governor scott walker is up for re-election next year. if he runs for election, as expected, that will be his third election in four years. the fight over union rights in the recall effort made wisconsin the center of the political universe for a while. governor walker surviving the effort. his win in the race made him a national republican darling. so now he pretty clearly is running for re-election in wisconsin. but also he is just as clearly apparently running for president. he has a running for president style book that is just out, titled "unintimidated" so you can hear the

bobby jindal will pursue the most egregious offenders.ednesday, we told you about vice president joe biden trying to call marty walsh, the new mayor elect. instead, he called up a staffer. he made more than one call. a reader received a voice mail saying marty, this is joe biden. nice to see you win and labor win. anything i can do to help you from the white house in terms of your needs in boston, holler, man. the vps office took the misdials in stride saying any other marty walshs out there, we would love to hear from you. we would, too. let us know on twitter. >>> there's a lot of friction between the white house and the press over obama care. that includes one of the country's most prominent investigative reporters. howard explains. >>> bob woodward told me he got a call from an angry white house official who blamed him for the negative press over the president's health carrollout. why? >> because i started. >> started what? >> started this idea of he's got to lead and he's too passive at times on these budget issues. >> reporter: that

his last name of big name surrogates were senator marco rubio, anti-abortion guy, rand paul, bobby jindal santorum. those awere his last list. where is this gender gap coming from? how did the republicans lose this governorship? nbc news again, projects tonight that the winner of the gub fla torrial race is mcauliffe. stay with us. msnbc's election coverage continues with the last word and lawrence o'donnell. america. much of america. in new jersey, chris christie re-elected to a second term as governor. we are awaiting a victory speech from governor christie. likely within this hour. in virginia, nbc news project, democratic terry mcauliffe pulled off a narrow victory. defeated, ken cuccinelli, with 96% of the vote in. mcauliffe, has 47%. and libertarian candidate, has 7%. nbc news also projects that democrat ralph northam is winner of the lieutenant-governor race. political director, chuck todd is at the headquarters in tyson's corner, virginia. chuck, how did this race find its way to a terry mcauliffe viy

>> he will get the gavel from bobby jindal, the governor of louisiana who is also looking at a run fordent just in the next two days and christie will be the chairman for the next cycle. >> christie is the star of the show. and then he was interviewed out there and he said this about president obama, go. >> he has not developed the relationships that have been necessary on a personal level with both sides of the aisle. both sides of the aisle to be able to be -- wring people to the white house to be a consensus builder to drive force. we have unfortunately in washington on both sides of the aisle at times our absolutists. >> so christie is running for president. we all know it. look at cammeron. >> he is the champion -- >> tell me he is not running for president. >> no. of course he is running for president. that's what he is doing. he has made it very clear. the day after he won re-election one of his staffers from the new jersey field team immediately started working to new hampshire to start working with the republican party up there. yes, he is running for president. everybody unde

that's where i think chris christie or bobby jindal or rick perry would be great candidates. >> let mes. he lot of the republican candidate and the charlotte mayor's race. charlotte is a city you are familiar with. he said your unpopularity was a contributing factor. they would ask me, talking about voters, are you going to be another pat crory. this was the anti-legislature senate. how do you respond to your fellow republican? >> i do have anti-pat mccrory. they did as mayor and i was reelected seven times. the longest 7ing mayor of a large city with more democrats than republicans. it's similar to chris christie who is governor of new jersey. when i came in as governor, i needed to change some things quickly. we were the fifth highest unemployment state in the country. i needed to deal with issues. apart from making the tough decisions, the polls are coming back up, scott walker in wisconsin had protesters. when you get through the process, you are willing to make the tough decisions. >> i wanted to talk about the abortion issue that has been a hot button topic. thanks for coming out

more conservative candidate in this race is state senator neal riser who has the task of backing bobby jindal is not the most poplar figure in your own state these days running against a total outsider, pipeline construction businessman whose primary backing in the race is not from any politician but who would you rather have, bobby jindal or the stars of duck dynasty and doors in your holding fundraisers on your behalf? so i don't know, that may be kind of a proxy election that we see a reality tv influence. and then finally in florida's 13th district, bill young's seat where bill young represented my district for 22 terms just passed away. we'll have a special election for a seat on march 11. democrats have a fantastic candidate in alex sink is a former chief financial officer of the state, ran a close race against rick scott in 2010 for governor. she doesn't live in pinellas county where the special election is being held. she lives across the bay in a suburb of tampa. nonetheless, she's highly regarded in the district and republicans are struggling to come up with a candidate who can go t

but louisiana governor bobby jindal decided to make a different decision. d vitter, jindal has vowed to find and punish those who walked away with more food than they could pay for by taking away their ability to buy food all together. anyone who overspent their balance and has previous ebt infractions could lose at least a year of eligibility and in the worst-case scenario, those with multiple violations will lose their benefits permanently. adding to the vulnerability of those already 47 million americans who may already be missing meals due to the november 1 cut in food assistance from the s.n.a.p. program. joining me now from new orleans is someone who works every day to help fill that gap for hungry family, natalie jayrow, the president and ceo of second harvest food bank. nice to have you with me. >> good to be with you, melissa. >> what do you think of the governor's decision to prosecute people who purchased more food than their ebt benefits allowed? >> well, melissa, we're just deeply concerned about anything that distracts from the crisis that one

. >> oh, sure, bobby jindal of louisiana, scott walker of wisconsin, just to name a couple that are veryminently placed. and jeb bush, one of the things the republican party is trying to do this year is shift the message away from washington and let more of the governors be a message-manager. pointing to some successes, particularly in the case of scott walker and chris christie, in the case of scott walker going against democrats and winning repeatedly with very aggressive, conservative ideas. so the governors are sort of considered the idea of factory of the republican party right now. and with polls showing in congress and washington in general, where parties are so unpopular, it is a big opportunity for the gop. and bret, as you can see, there is terry mcauliffe. i'll pass it back to you. >> terry mcauliffe, now governor-elect mcauliffe of the commonwealth of virginia, let's listen in. >> thank you, thank you, thank you. what a great night, everybody. huh? you know, over the past few months, i have started speeches thanking a lot of political figures. but i'm so glad that tonight, th

kelly o'donnell also talked to another name mentioned in the 2016 ranks, louisiana governor bobby jindalfore the horse. >> as a party, we need to focus the next election, not the next-next election. 2014, two dozen governors races for the house and the senate secondly, as a party, zee to win the the war of ideas. >> i want to bring in deputy political editor, domenico, how much does chris christie impact a potential candidacy in 2016? >> we've seen other pretty high-profile republicans who have been the head of rga before running for president. you'll remember in 2006 mitt romney headed the rga. in 2011 rick perry did, as well, both before their eventual runs for president. so we'll see what winds up happening. obviously, neither of those guys wound up winning their nomination in those years. so, you know, it could go one or two ways -- one of two ways. >> yeah. >> he's certainly going to be able to get out there and be much more known nationally which i think is pretty important for him because when you looked at our polling in christie versus clinton, one thing we noticed is that he di

from texas governor rick perry and his new glasses, louisiana governor bobby jindal, new jersey governoris christie, this year's rga conference reads like a who's who of 2016 presidential candidate but the focus seems to be overwhelmingly on one man. today governor christie will take the rga chairmanship, a position that will give him a bigger national platform if such a thing is possible, expanded rolodex for 2016. moments ago at an rga press conference he emphasized the work of republican governors around the country. >> everybody up here has strongly helped beliefs and convictions that are important and we also know we have a job to do. what we're hired to do is run our states and do the job. >> throughout conference republican governors outlined a strategy for getting their party out of the pits pointing to job creation, immigration reform and alternatives to obama care. the most common refrain has been disdain for washington. >> one of the thing, alex, i want to really get us to focus on is to talk about how we transition the conversation away from washington as the place where all

. >> whether it's john kasich or jeb bush or chris christie or bobby jindal or scott walker, the partyees a lot of pragmatic -- more pragmatic republicans who have done things, accomplished things in their states while also be conservative and that governors have been in recent times in our lifetimes, governors have had a much better record of winning the presidency than senators or congressmen. and i think the party really wants to win in 2016. and realize their system did not help them do that in 2012 and that they need to make some structural adjustments if they're going to put themselves in the best position to win three or four years from now. >> i think they need someone to bring them together. i can only think of someone like kasich or walker. the new book of yours everybody knows about, another big hit for these guys. mark halperin and john heilemann. >>> up next, i had a good night on "the late show with david letterman." i think you're going to like it. this is "hardball," of course, the place for politics. >>> our next guest is the host of "hardball" on msnbc. he's also the