Christie questions Haley’s ability to beat Trump in New Hampshire

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie on Tuesday said if former President Donald Trump wins the New Hampshire primary, he will secure the GOP presidential nomination.

“If [Mr. Trump] wins here, don’t expect South Carolina to save us; it’s not going to happen,” the former New Jersey governor said at a town hall in Rochester. “So you all are the ones who are going to make the call here.”

Mr. Christie argued that fellow candidate Nikki Haley isn’t “actually running against Donald Trump,” citing her support for pardoning the former president if he gets convicted of any of his alleged crimes. He also noted how she has refused to rule out being Mr. Trump’s running mate.

“Why do we think she’d beat him? She’s not trying to beat him,” Mr. Christie.

Recent polls show Ms. Haley gaining on Mr. Trump for the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary. One conducted by the University of New Hampshire/CNN has the former South Carolina governor only a single digit behind the former president.

Mr. Christie said he’ll stay in the race as long as he sees a path to the nomination.

“Let’s say I dropped out of the race right now and I support Nikki Haley. 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?” he said.

He said he wouldn’t make an endorsement because he didn’t want to “make the same mistake again” as he did by backing Mr. Trump eight years ago.

Brittany Yanick, spokeswoman for Ms. Haley’s PAC, said Mr. Christie talks tough but is in “the same position today as he was the last time he ran for president.

“It’s time for voters to tell Christie what we all know, which is that his campaign isn’t stopping anyone, and frankly it’s helping Trump, whom he proudly endorsed in 2016 and supposedly opposes in 2024.”

— This story is based in part on wire reports.