Christie's wife quits Wall Street job amid speculation he will seek White House

[April 25, 2015]  (Reuters) - Mary Pat Christie, the wife of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, resigned from her Wall Street job, his spokesman confirmed, as her husband contemplates a run for the White House in 2016.

Her resignation from New York-based Angelo Gordon & Co, which manages hedge funds and alternative investments, is perhaps the clearest sign yet that Christie is likely to officially announce that he will be a Republican 2016 presidential candidate.

"Mrs. Christie has decided to take a hiatus from her work in the finance world to spend more time with her family and young children," said Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for the governor, in an emailed statement.

Citing anonymous sources, Fox Business Network reported on Friday that earlier this week, Mary Pat Christie told officials at Angelo Gordon, where she was a managing director, that she would resign as her husband neared a campaign announcement, FOX Business Network reported.

Governor Christie has made some of the pre-campaign appearances usual for presidential contenders seeking to woo voters early. He showed up in New Hampshire in an effort to recapture the spotlight there, as his approval rating at home hit a new low with New Jersey voters.

But he did not appear on Friday in Iowa with conservative Christians hosting other Republican White House hopefuls.

Heidi Cruz, the wife of declared Republican candidate Ted Cruz, worked at Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs until taking unpaid leave last month.

(Reporting by Hilary Russ in New York)

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