Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has officially dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential race, citing a lack of momentum and a commitment to preventing Donald Trump from ever becoming president again. Christie made the announcement at a town hall event in New Hampshire, just days before the first Republican nominating contest in Iowa. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Christie only had the support of 2% of Republicans nationwide, the same level of support as former Representative Liz Cheney. The poll also revealed that Trump holds a significant lead in the contest, with 49% support, followed by Nikki Haley at 12% and Ron DeSantis at 11%.
During his announcement, Christie reiterated his concerns about the potential consequences of a Trump victory in the presidential election, stating, I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump ever (to) be president of the United States again and that’s more important than my own personal ambition. Republican strategist John Feehery suggested that Christie’s exit could benefit Haley in New Hampshire, as many of Christie’s supporters may switch their loyalty to her. However, Feehery also expressed doubts about this translating into significant support for Haley in other nominating states.
Christie’s decision to suspend his campaign eliminates the most vocal critic of Trump from the race, although Haley has recently grown critical of the former president as well. Christie, who previously ran for president in 2016, became Trump’s ally but later disavowed him following his false claims about winning the 2020 election. Despite positioning himself as the Republican contender willing to challenge Trump directly, Christie struggled to gain traction and remained in low single digits in national polls throughout his campaign.
Christie’s departure from the race now leaves the field to Donald Trump as the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination against President Joe Biden in November’s election. The former New Jersey governor expressed his belief that Trump would likely lose to Biden due to the four criminal cases looming over his candidacy. Nonetheless, Trump’s strong grip on the party and the support of its most active members put him in a commanding position. As the race continues, the Republican Party faces a significant choice between the policies and character of the past or embracing a new generation of conservative leadership.
