Just hours before the Republican primary debate last week, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that he was dropping out of the race, CBS News reported.
During an event in New Hampshire on January 10, Christie admitted that he had no path to the Republican nomination.
Before Christie took the stage to announce the suspension of his campaign, he was caught on a hot mic criticizing Haley.
While Christie did not say Haley’s name, he was heard saying that she was “gonna get smoked” and was “not up to this.”
Christie initially launched his 2024 campaign with the sole focus of stopping Donald Trump from winning the nomination.
The longshot candidate largely ignored Iowa, pinning all of his hopes on a strong finish in the New Hampshire primary. However, his hopes were dashed when New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu endorsed former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
With no hope of a solid finish in New Hampshire, Christie’s path beyond the Granite State was grim. The former New Jersey governor had very little ground game outside of New Hampshire and even failed to make the Super Tuesday primary ballot in Maine.
Adding to the pressure were Republicans who were urging Christie to abandon his campaign and throw his support behind Nikki Haley if he was sincere about stopping Trump from winning the nomination.
In an interview with CNN the day before Christie dropped out, Governor Sununu said a vote for Christie would be a vote taken from Nikki Haley. He warned that Christie’s continued presence in the New Hampshire primary would prevent the state from “delivering that loss to the former president.”
Christie has thus far not endorsed either Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis.
In a campaign stop in Rochester, New Hampshire the day before he dropped out, Christie said he would be happy to drop out of the race and endorse another candidate if any of them would be willing to take Trump on.
