Journalist Geraldo Rivera says he would take the call if New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wanted to appoint him to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died at the age of 89 on Monday.
"I would definitely take the call," Rivera said on the "Ge
raldo Rivera Radio Show," adding, "I'm the last person I believe Gov. Christie will consider right now."
Rivera has previously spoken on his show about possibly running for Senate as a Republican in 2014.
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Still, he said Monday, "I'm not spending too much obsessing over that. I think it's a very, very long shot that Gov. Christie would even think of me, appointing me. I haven't been vetted. I've only kind of toyed with the idea of running."
He also said there will be "Republicans and Democrats like planes waiting to land at LaGuardia looking to Gov. Chris Christie for the appointment."
If he were to launch a campaign in the future, Rivera told the audience he would have a "very specific" platform. "I think listeners of this program are becoming aware of the fact that you can be Republican and not be a tea party conservative," he said, adding, "You know the fact that Republicans have to moderate and have to modify their stances on a lot of issues, like immigration, like gay marriage, like the right to choose."
As for Lautenberg, who had been a frequent guest on Rivera's old CNBC show, "We anticipated this after he became severely ill. … It's still a tragedy and we lament his passing."
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