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Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie plans to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, after his anti-Donald Trump candidacy failed to take off in the Republican primary, multiple networks and the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
Christie was to make the announcement at a town hall in Windham, NH.
Christie’s exit would leave just Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson in the race.
Christie staked his candidacy on his withering criticism of Trump, calling him unfit for office and blasting him for not showing up to any of the GOP debates. In an ad, Christie said that he “made a mistake” in endorsing Trump in 2016. He said that Trump would “sell the soul of this country.”
There had been some pressure among some Republicans backing Haley for Christie to drop out to boost her chances.
Even though Christie’s exit may end up helping Haley in New Hampshire, he expressed misgivings this week about endorsing her.
“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now and I supported Nikki Haley,” Christie said, per the AP. “And then three months from now, four months from now, when you’re ready to go to the convention, she comes out as his vice president. What will I look like? What will all the people who supported her at my behest look like?”
Christie failed to qualify for the next presidential debate, scheduled for Wednesday evening in Iowa. CNN’s criteria required that candidates reach at least 10% in recent polls.
Word of Christie’s plans to exit the race began to leak out earlier on Wednesday afternoon, when journalist Mark Halperin reported that he planned to drop out.
Christie is a former ABC News commentator. He had supported Trump until after the 2020 presidential election, when he refused to back Trump’s stolen election claims.
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