Gov. Chris Christie on Monday will make his most decisive moves yet toward a presidential run by creating a political action committee, hiring eight experienced campaign aides and outlining plans for a spree of fund-raising events across the country.

Mr. Christie’s PAC, to be called “Leadership Matters For America,” will allow the New Jersey governor to raise and spend the money necessary to woo Republicans across the country over the next year. It will employ several of his closest political advisers and aides, said a person briefed on the plans.

The aides will also serve as a skeletal campaign-staff-in-waiting. He is not expected to make a final decision until spring.

The actions highlight how far Mr. Christie has journeyed, politically, since last year, when a scandal over traffic on the George Washington Bridge left many doubting his future as a presidential candidate. The investigations into the matter continue, but his allies argue that he has moved on and can now mount a vigorous bid for the presidency.