Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and two-time failed presidential candidate, announced he is dropping out of the 2024 race during a town hall in New Hampshire.
“It’s clear to me tonight, there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States,” Mr Christie told potential voters on Wednesday just hours ahead of the next GOP debate.
Mr Christie reportedly notified allies that he would remove himself from the Republican candidate pool, facing faltering polling numbers and pressure from Donald Trump critics to find a viable opponent to take on the former president.
“I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” Mr Christie said.
Mr Christie launched his long-shot bid for president in June, aiming to take down Mr Trump, the current frontrunner. His campaign was largely built around discrediting Mr Trump and trying to convince voters to support a different Republican candidate.
However, Mr Christie’s campaign failed to garner enough support in national polls, trailing behind his fellow candidates, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Mr Christie did not endorse any of his fellow candidates.
The former governor spearheaded a pugnacious campaign against Mr Trump, dedicating much of his time to bashing Mr Trump’s policies and leadership style, calling him “a failed leader” and a “self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog”.
During previous Republican debates, Mr Christie taunted Mr Trump for refusing to show up and debate fellow candidates, bestowing upon him the nickname “Donald Duck.”
Former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie speaks during the third Republican presidential primary debate— (AFP via Getty Images)
Mr Christie’s decision arrives nearly a week after he denied allegations that he would drop out of the race and said he refused to endorse a candidate based on politics.
His reference was to his own endorsement of Mr Trump in 2016, calling it “a mistake.”
“Eight years ago when I decided to endorse Donald Trump for president, I did it because he was winning, and I did it because I thought I could make him a better candidate and a better president,” Mr Christie said in a recently aired ad. “Well, I was wrong, I made a mistake.”
Mr Christie echoed similar remarks during his speech on Wednesday evening, urging his fellow Republicans, and candidates, to denounce Mr Trump and stand up for democracy ahead of the 2024 election.
“For all the people who have been in this race who have put their own personal ambition ahead of what’s right, they will ultimately have to answer the same questions that I had to answer after my decision in 2016,” Mr Christie said.
This is the second time Mr Christie has suspended his campaign for president. In 2016, Mr Christie ran against Mr Trump but dropped out of the race after finishing sixth in the New Hampshire primary.
The former governor spent much of his recent campaign in the Granite State.
