Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie suspended his 2024 campaign to become the Republican Party presidential nominee Wednesday, timing his exit to slow the momentum former President Donald Trump has going into the early caucuses and primaries.
Christie announced his departure from the GOP primary race to become the next president of the United States before a live audience at a New Hampshire town hall event. Before taking the stage, the former New Jersey governor hinted that he had a “significant announcement.”
🚨 BREAKING: Chris Christie officially drops out of the 2024 race
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 10, 2024
“My goal has never been to be just a voice against the hate and the division and the selfishness of what our party has become under Donald Trump,” said Christie, who also served as a U.S. attorney under George W. Bush. “It’s also been to win the nomination and defeat Joe Biden and restore our party and our country to a new place of hope and optimism in this country.”
“I’ve always said if there came a point in time in this race where I couldn’t see a path to accomplishing that goal that I would get out,” Christie explained. “And it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States.”
Christie is trailing far behind other GOP candidates in the Republican Primary race. The latest poll figures as of Jan. 11 showed Trump in the lead with over 52%, followed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) at 17% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at 15.7%. Meanwhile, only 3% of likely caucusgoers named Christie as their first pick on Jan. 9.
2024 Iowa Republican Caucus (Shift since 12/4):
Trump 52% (+7)
Haley 18% (-1)
DeSantis 18% (-4)
Ramaswamy 5% (=)
Christie 3% (-1)
Hutchinson 1% (=).@trafalgar_group, LV https://t.co/ap6Jpwvm69
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) January 9, 2024
Although he said earlier that he wanted to be more than a foil to Trump, Christie added, “I want to promise you this. I’m going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition.” Christie also ran and dropped out of the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
