Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, announced Wednesday night that he was withdrawing from the GOP presidential race in 2024. Christie said to a group supporters that it was clear to him “tonight” that he would not be able to win the GOP presidential nomination. “That’s why I suspend my campaign for president tonight.”
“I promise you that I will never allow Donald Trump to be president again in the United States,” he continued. “That’s more than my personal ambition,” he said. Unfortunately, it was the sole reason why his presidential campaign failed.
This campaign suspension was strangely timed, coming just days before Monday’s Iowa Caucus and the first GOP presidential debate in 2024. Nikki Haley is currently ahead of the former president Donald Trump, who was thought to be Christie’s main competitor in New Hampshire’s January 23rd primary for moderate voters. Has Christie’s abrupt departure a chance to boost Haley in New Hampshire
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Christie himself might not agree. He was snagged on a hot microphone saying, “She’s gonna get smoked – you and I both will know it.” The debacle tainted the end of his campaign. Donald Trump agreed, saying on Truth Social, “I heard Chris Christie was dropping out of today’s race–I may even like him again!” He was caught on a microphone making an honest statement about Haley.
Haley is the biggest threat to Trump’s position in New Hampshire. She is currently polling at 29,9 percent, while Trump is at 42,4 percent. Haley’s narrow victory is not impossible, even though Christie has dropped out and his 11.6 percent vote will have to be spread elsewhere. New Hampshire, an open-primary state, does not allow Democrats to hold a primary, so many unaffiliated voters may vote for Haley to stop Trump winning. New Hampshire is no stranger to this. New Hampshire is known as a state that has seen many upsets, including the GOP candidate Pat Buchanan’s victory over Bob Dole during the 1996 primary.
New Hampshire is now a two-person contest between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. Trump has the ball, as he won in 2016 and can win it again. Chris Christie will have to accept that he can’t stop Donald Trump from being elected president again, even if he gives one of Trump’s strongest opponents free votes in New Hampshire.