Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he doesn’t have plans to campaign for New York’s Republican candidate for governor because he doesn’t campaign for candidates he doesn’t think can win.

Christie was in Greenwich, Connecticut, to raise cash for GOP candidate Tom Foley when he was asked whether he planned to spend any time campaigning in New York, where Republican challenger Rob Astorino, the Westchester County executive, trails incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo by a large margin in public polls.

“You know, I will spend time in places where we have a chance to win,” said Christie, who chairs the Republican Governors Association.

Christie, who just returned from a trip to Iowa and plans to spend time in Colorado this week, said he’s repeatedly told candidates he doesn’t “pay for landslides” and he doesn’t “invest in lost causes.”

“If the New York race becomes competitive, I’ll consider campaigning in the New York race,” he added. “But right now by the public polls there’s a lot more competitive races like this one in Connecticut where I’ve got to spend my time. And that’s where I’ll spend my time, in places where I can make a difference to help somebody win.”

Astorino’s spokeswoman Jessica Proud said a statement that his campaign “simply can’t believe that the governor, as head of the RGA, would say that.” She said other governors, including members of the RGA’s executive committee, have offered their help.

(AP)