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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday suspended his 2024 bid for the GOP presidential nomination just days before the first votes are cast.
Mr. Christie ran on a mission for the Republican Party to kick former President Donald Trump to the curb, and he put all his eggs on a strong showing in the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.
He ultimately concluded his campaign was not going to catch fire, saying he was befuddled by the fact the party remained so loyal to Mr. Trump and that his rivals had been so reluctant to take the fight to the former president.
Mr. Christie said he is putting his campaign on ice, while vowing, “I am not going away.
“My voice is not going away,” he said.
Mr. Christie made a bit of a mess of the announcement after he was caught on a hot mic presumably predicting former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley was “gonna get smoked” by Mr. Trump in the race.
“And you and I both know it, she’s not up to this,” Mr. Christie said.
Before his mic cut out, Mr. Christie also said he got a call before his drop-out announcement from a “petrified” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is slipping in the polls behind Ms. Haley.
Responding to the news of Mr. Christie’s exit, Mr. Trump said: “I might even get to like him again!” He added that Mr. Christie’s hot mic moment was a “very truthful statement.”
Still, Mr. Christie’s decision to drop out of the race is widely considered good news for Ms. Haley. She is the most likely candidate to pick up Mr. Christie’s supporters in New Hampshire.
Mr. Christie and Ms. Haley tailored their message toward moderate Republicans and independents in the state. They both also attract support from voters with college degrees.
Ms. Haley, a former South Carolina governor, has been locked in a race with Mr. DeSantis to be the top alternative to Mr. Trump.
Ms. Haley also has been counting on the idea that a strong showing in New Hampshire will act as a springboard to the nomination.
Mr. Christie’s nonstop criticism of Mr. Trump resonated with some voters and made him a darling of the mainstream media.
But it did not sit well with the lion’s share of GOP voters in the early caucus and primary states, including in New Hampshire where he was running in third place, well behind Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley.
Mr. Christie, however, exited the race with the same message, warning that Mr. Trump will always put himself first ahead of Americans.
“Let me tell you, if Donald Trump becomes the nominee of this party, the moment that it happened was when Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Mike Pence, Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy stood on that [debate] stage in Milwaukee in August and when we were asked if you would support someone who would be a convicted felon to be president of the United States they raised their hands,” he said. “I did not, and will not.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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