Reports: Gov. Christie To Give RNC Keynote

And you're 2012 Republican National Convention keynote speaking will be ... Chris Christie.

NBC News, the Washington Times, and other media outlets are reporting that sources say that the New Jersey governor has been given the highly-desireable speaking slot in Tampa this summer. The decision suggests that Christie is out of the running to become Mitt Romney's running mate on the GOP ticket.

In the lead-up to the primary season, Christie's name was mentioned atop Republicans' presidential wish lists, but ultimately he resisted calls to jump into the race for the White House. Since then, he has served as a high-profile surrogate for Romney, and had been listed as a possible—but somewhat unlikely—VP candidate.

Then-New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani gave the keynote at the 2008 convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Here's the Times on the rationale behind the (still-unofficial) pick: "The selection would make a certain amount of sense. Mr. Christie has the kind of star power and commanding presence required to rev up the GOP base, and Mr. Romney's ad maker, Russ Schriefer, who worked on Mr. Christie's 2009 campaign, is playing a major role in convention planning."