Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race.
With Christie suspending his campaign, Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley stands to gain more ground against former President Donald Trump in the quest for the GOP nomination.
“It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination,” Christie told voters at an evening event in New Hampshire. “Which is why I’m suspending my campaign for president of the United States.”
“I want to promise you this,” Christie said. “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 was viewed as a moderate candidate who regularly clashed with Trump despite once being a supporter. Suspending his campaign could swing voters to Haley, whose own views are more moderate than Trump’s. Christie has not officially announced whether he will endorse any of the remaining candidates.
Christie was heard before the announcement saying, “Nikki is going to get smoked — you and I both know it. She’s not up to this.”
Trump has also ratcheted up criticism of Haley recently as she emerges as the most likely alternative in the wake of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ poor polling numbers. Haley has increased her polling to draw within single-digit numbers of Trump in New Hampshire.
“I ran this time because I looked at the field, and I said none of these people are going to take him on,” Christie said of Trump. “No one’s going to tell the truth about him. And I’ve known him for 22 years. I have an obligation to go out there and tell the truth about him. And that’s the thing that motivated me and got me over the finish line to run.”
Haley and DeSantis will now go head-to-head in the GOP debate hosted by CNN on Wednesday, January 10.
