Who the heck is Chris Christie, and why does everyone want him to run?

First it was Romney, then Bachman, then Perry. But they’ve all seemingly fallen by the presidential wayside as the GOP is suddenly taken with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as the best bet to unseat President Obama.

He generated big buzz with a high profile speech Tuesday night at the Reagan Library in Southern California. Despite saying repeatedly he’s not running, it’s not stopping people from putting on a full court press to get him to change his mind.

“Chris Christie has this reputation of being a guy who tells it like it is regardless of the political consequences and he appears to be succeeding in New Jersey even with people who don’t share his bedrock conservatism,” observes 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dave Ross.

Listen to Dave and Luke discuss the appeal of Chris Christie

At a time when compromise and bi-partisanship are bad words in both parties, Christie hangs his hat on both for his success in getting New Jersey’s Democratic Legislature to pass his public overhaul plan.

“We identified the problems, we proposed specific means to fix them, we educated the public on the dire consequences of inaction, and then we compromised on a bi-partisan basis to get results. In other words, we did what government is supposed to do. We took action,” Christie trumpeted to an adoring audience.

“He does seem like a guy willing to compromise, he’s neither Mitt Romney nor Rick Perry,” observes Ross and Burbank co-host Luke Burbank.

His frankness is his calling card, but the former federal prosecutor’s presidential allure is somewhat mystifying given his moderate stand on a number of hot button issues. For example, he favors a path to citizenship for immigrants, some gun control and he says climate change is real.

Here’s a great example of Christie at his best, speaking off the cuff about his run in with the state’s teachers union:

But what does Christie want? Last fall he famously emphasized he wasn’t interested, saying he didn’t have the fire to run.

“Short of suicide I don’t know what I’d have to do to convince you people that I’m not running. I’m not running,” Christie said.

That didn’t stop one woman at his Reagan Library appearance from virtually getting on her hands and knees to beg him to run:

“I mean this with all my heart. We can’t wait another four years. I really implore as a citizen of this country to reconsider. Do it for my daughter, for my grandchildren. Do it for our sons. Please, we need you, your country needs you to run for president.”

There’s a whole other constituency also chomping at the bit for a Christie campaign: the media. Whether it’s his weight or his wit, Christie provides plenty of fodder.

-Josh Kerns/97.3 KIRO FM