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Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., Gov. Paul LePage, R-Maine, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. Reuters and BDN file photos.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey will come up to Maine for a reception with our own GOP governor, Paul LePage, and his wife, Ann, on May 7 in Portland.

The announcement was made in a fundraising email to supporters from The Committee to Re-Elect Paul LePage. Today is the last day of the current campaign finance reporting period, and the notice about Christies stop inMaines largest city is an attempt to get one last donation rally before the books on Q1 close at midnight.

Tickets for the event cost between $150 (general reception for an individual) and $1,500 (VIP reception for a couple).

Christies May 11 stop will be the second visit from a high-profile 2016 presidential hopeful in less thantwo weeks. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., will speak at theRepublican State Convention on Saturday.

Paul and Christie offer two different flavors of Republican candidate; Paulis a Tea Party darling of the libertarian, free-market crowd, while Christieis a more-or-less moderate conservative from a reliably Democratic state (he even approved Medicaid expansion).

LePage will share astage with both men, though its likely for the best that its not on the same night: Christie and Paul have traded several barbs in the past year as both have angled for the soul of the party leading up to 2016s presidential election.

Paul has said Christie is a conservative only if you have a very loose definition and essentially called the New Jersey governor a bully in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal.

Last year, Christiecalled Pauls brand of libertarianism dangerous for its opposition to using a broad surveillance regime to ferret out and prevent terrorism. He cast the entire libertarian school of thought as one for those interested only in intellectual debates, not pragmatic policymaking.

Both high-profile Republicans could giveLePage a boost in hisgubernatorial campaign against Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and independent businessman Eliot Cutler. Most polls have indicated a close race between the two partisan nominees.

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Chris Christie and Rand Paul are not friends, but theyll both share a stage with LePage