Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday officially jumped into the 2024 presidential race, filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission formally declaring his candidacy.
Mr. Christie is launching his bid later Tuesday at a town hall event in New Hampshire, which is expected to hold the GOP’s first-in-the-nation primary early next year.
His bid is considered a longshot, and polls show him registering at 1% in many GOP presidential primary surveys. But Mr. Christie, 60, is expected to ratchet up attacks on frontrunner and former President Donald Trump in a bid to weaken Mr. Trump’s large margin of support.
Mr. Trump’s allies welcomed Mr. Christie into the race, despite Mr. Christie’s regular criticism of the former president.
In a statement from Mr. Trump’s aligned super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Mr. Christie’s decision to run for president signals the weakness of Mr. Trump’s number-one opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Mr. DeSantis is the only GOP candidate other than Mr. Trump polling in double digits, but trails the former president by at least 20 points in most polls.
“Ron DeSantis’ campaign is spiraling, and President Trump’s dominance over the Republican primary field has opened a mad rush to seize the mantle for runner-up,” Ms. Leavitt said. “Ron DeSantis is not ready for this moment, and Chris Christie will waste no time eating DeSantis’ lunch.”
Mr. Christie is among three candidates who will enter the presidential race this week.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to announce his campaign in Iowa on Wednesday and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will declare his candidacy, also on Wednesday, at an event in Fargo.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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