Chris Christie is one step closer to making his White House run official: The New Jersey governor has launched a political action committee that will allow him to build a political team and raise money ahead of the 2016 primary season.

USA Today reported the PAC, called "Leadership Matters for America," said in its mission statement that it will work "on entitlement spending at every level of government and ensure that every child, no matter their zip code, has access to a quality education." In his two-term tenure in Trenton, public debt and school reform have been two key items on Christie's agenda.

The Republican hopeful has recruited several top fundraisers to help him get ready for the campaign, Texas investor Ray Washburne will serve as the PAC's finance chairman, while Phil Cox, the outgoing executive director of the Republican Governors Association, will be a key adviser.

The "Leadership Matters" paperwork was filed on Friday, just in time for Christie's weekend address at the Iowa Freedom Summit, a conservative gathering in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, Fox News said.

In the past several months, the former prosecutor has made repeated visits to early-voting states and held meetings to court donors, according to the news channel. Since becoming governor, he has made his way to Iowa no fewer than 11 times, CNN noted.

In Des Moines, Christie appeared with a host of other potential GOP candidates and tried to dismiss criticism that says his "Jersey guy" style will be a problem on the national stage, according to CNN.

"Let me ask you: If I was too blunt, too direct, too loud and too 'New Jersey' for Iowa, then why do you people keep inviting me back?" Christie wondered.

Many influential candidates had hoped Christie would join the presidential race in 2012 when the campaign of then-frontrunner Mitt Romney seemed to falter, Fox News reported. The New Jersey governor considered but ultimately rejected the opportunity, though he "turned quickly toward laying the groundwork for a 2016 campaign," the news channel added.

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