TRENTON – Governor Chris Christie visited the GOP caucus room a short time ago amid talks about how to go forward on both sides and nervousness among those allies of Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) about his rivals taking a run at him.

At last count, Prieto had 27 or 28 votes on the budget, far short of the 41 he needs as a war persists in his own party.

The speaker huddled with his brain trust as assembly people milled in the chamber and time ground by, as state Senator Nick Sacco (D-32) engaged, one source said, and made phone calls to allies in an attempt to generate more support for the budget that Prieto lacks.

“Stick together,” Christie told the caucus. “Let them get divided and tear each other apart.”

Although Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-21) denied an 11th hour plot with GOP help to remove Prieto from the rostrum, at least one source on the Prieto side of the Prieto v. Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) divide fretted about a South Jersey-Middlesex-GOP caucus-engineered takedown of the sitting speaker.

Time dragged.

Prieto did not appear.

“Be prepared to come back tomorrow,” the governor told the Republican caucus, according to one source with knowledge of his caucus meeting, which he undertook prior to going to have talks with the GOP senators.