Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, will bring his blunt, everyman style of politics to a global stage as the keynote speaker of the Republican National Convention, officials announced on Tuesday.
Mr. Christie, who briefly considered running for president himself last year, will be introduced by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a Republican rising star who had been considered as a vice presidential nominee for Mitt Romney.
The selections will showcase two of the party's most popular leaders in the hopes of appealing to independent and Latino voters.
A former prosecutor, Mr. Christie has become a political sensation by discarding the usual political pleasantries in favor of a brash and sometimes abrasive approach to governing. At town hall meetings in his state, he often argues with his constituents. When he thinks someone is stupid, he calls them stupid.
That approach has earned him the enmity of some of his adversaries, including members of the state's teacher's union, which Mr. Christie has targeted for deep reductions in their public pensions.
In an interview with USA Today, which first confirmed his role as the keynote speaker, Mr. Christie said he would bring his usual style to the speech.
“I'll try to tell some very direct and hard truths to people in the country about the trouble that we're in and the fact that fixing those problems is not going to be easy for any of them,†Mr. Christie told the newspaper.
“The American people are ready to confront those problems head-on and endure some sacrifice,†he said.
Mr. Christie briefly flirted last October with a presidential bid of his own, listening to donors and supporters urge him to run. But he ultimately decided not to run, saying “now is not my time.â€
He also repeatedly pushed back against the idea of becoming Mr. Romney's vice presidential running mate, asking whether anyone could envision himself in that role.
In a statement Tuesday morning, Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said that Mr. Christie has “fearlessly tackled his state's most difficult challenges, while looking out for hardworking taxpayers. He is a leader of principle and conviction.â€
Mr. Rubio, a first-term senator and Cuban-American, is seen as a key part of helping the Republican party reach out to Hispanic voters. A rising star in Florida, Mr. Rubio is a Tea Party conservative who has broad appeal in the state.
