Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Wednesday that he is dropping out of the Republican race for president.
"It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination," Christie said at a town hall event in New Hampshire.
The announcement came just hours before Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were scheduled to debate in Iowa. Former President Donald Trump is skipping the debate and holding a town hall.
Christie, who has been a major critic of Trump, did not garner enough support to appear on Wednesday night's debate stage. However, he still warned about what he believes would happen if Trump is elected president again.
“If you put him back behind the desk in the Oval Office and the choice comes and the decision is needed to be made as to whether he puts himself first or he puts you first, how much more evidence do you need that he will pick himself," Christie told the crowd.
Christie's campaign largely ignored Iowa and focused on New Hampshire. He was hoping a big performance in New Hampshire would propel his campaign. However, a CNN poll that was conducted by the University of New Hampshire showed Christie at 12% in the Granite State this week. Trump was polling at 39% support, while Haley was at 32%. All of the other candidates were polling in single digits.
Haley's campaign hopes Christie's departure from the race will allow her to overtake Trump in New Hampshire, which will hold its primary on Jan. 23.
However, Christie didn't appear confident that Haley would be able to win the nomination. In a hot mic moment captured by Scripps News' Joe St. George, Christie could be heard saying, "She's gonna get smoked, and you and I know it. She's not up for this," presumably referring to Haley.
Hot mic moment by Christie...
"She is not up to this"
Says DeSantis called him "petrified"@scrippsnews pic.twitter.com/SRmuaY4ain
— Joe St. George (@JoeStGeorge) January 10, 2024
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