BY ISAAC BENJAMIN

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

It’s one of the biggest parties in Washington, D.C. Every year, thousands of conservatives head to the nation’s capital for the Conservative Political Action Conference. Over three days, attendees meet, greet and strategize with other activists. Each day is filled with hearings from prominent figures and public officials, and nights are spent cavorting at the notorious late-night parties.

The conference is a who's-who of Republican leaders; past, present and future. Amidst the excitement for next month's convention, however, there is a growing uproar over who didn’t get invited to this grand old party.

Many consider CPAC a reflection of the conservative movement’s current agenda and yet there is a glaring omission from this year's pilgrimage. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a speaker at past CPACs and a rising star in the Republican Party, has not been invited to join in the festivities.

Christie is frequently mentioned as a presidential hopeful in 2016, and is facing a reelection campaign sure to attract national attention. Seemingly, Christie is exactly the sort of headliner sought after by a conference that prides itself on its powerful influence.

In the days before the 2012 election, Christie was frequently seen with President Obama, touring hard-hit parts of New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy. Many prominent conservatives were irate over the governor’s support of Obama and claimed it helped the president defeat Gov. Mitt Romney

In the months following Sandy, Christie was outspoken for government relief, blasting fellow Republicans in Congress for holding up the necessary support.

Why the snub? “This past year (Christie) strongly advocated for the passage of a $60+ billion pork barrel bill, containing only $9 billion in disaster assistance,” Al Cardenas, of the American Conservative Union, told Politico. The leader of the organization that runs CPAC added, Christie agreed with “the federal government to expand Medicaid at a time when his state can ill afford it, so he was not invited to speak.”

In light of Cardenas’ comments, many conservatives are voicing their disappointment. This week, on Fox News’ The O'Reilly Factor, conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer derided the decision to abandon Christie.

“I wasn't very happy with what he did with Sandy. I thought he deserved three months in quarantine. The three months is up and I had let him out. I'd have him at CPAC. We should have a wide tent.” Krauthammer added, “If that's what it takes to win elections in the northeast and nationwide, let's go for it.”

Avi Snyder, a recently hired Koch Foundation Associate, told Newjerseynewsroom.com he was bothered by the decision. “I’ve been frustrated with Christie recently,” Snyder, who has attended several CPACs in the past, said. “But I don’t think CPAC is a good time to exclude people, especially when everyone is talking about expanding the party.”

For his part, the typically outspoken governor was curt in responding to the controversy. “That's their prerogative,” Christie told the Wall Street Journal, “I wish them the best.”