From what I can make out Christie was invited to speak at a gathering of "media moguls" and he impressed them. Some of them may have wanted him to run. A lot of them were probably Democrats and wouldn't support him anyway.
But I do notice that many ordinary people on the East Coast also kind of wished Christie would run (and I notice that for some people Texas millionaires are just plain folks and New York bus drivers are already part of the arrogant elite).
"Manipulate" may be too strong a word. Regular people or elites, a lot of people are dissatisfied with the available choices. Getting Christie in the race would certainly have hurt Romney, but it's not like any of the other candidates would have had a lock on the race if nominated.
Christie may have been a stronger candidate than the others. If he was, it would have been foolish not to consider him, if his views were acceptable.
Christie and Romney are not that far apart in their big government ideology. The media would have focused on Christie versus Romney just as it did with Perry versus Romney. It didn't hurt Romney nearly as much as the other candidates. I stand by “manipulate” because the media presentation would have been that these are the only two “real” candidates, so pick one or the other. Some choice.
I don't disagree that Christie had appeal, but certainly not to this conservative. Anyone can get in the race. I have no problem with that until the media does its mischief. Pardon my cynicism, but the media has conditioned me that way.