Trump critic Christie drops out of Republican presidential race

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© Reuters. An audience member records as Republican presidential candidate and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is reflected in a mirror while speaking at a campaign stop at the RiverWoods Retirement Community in Exeter, New Hampshire, U.S., January 10, 202
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By Nathan Layne

(Reuters) -Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ended his flailing bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination on Wednesday, after failing to garner support for a campaign centered on criticism of the policies and character of frontrunner Donald Trump.

Christie dropped out just days before the first Republican nominating contest in Iowa. Christie had the support of just 2% of Republicans in a nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday – the same level of support as former Representative Liz Cheney, who never declared herself a candidate.

Trump holds a big lead in the contest to be the party’s nominee against President Joe Biden in November’s election, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll put him on 49%, ahead of former UN ambassador Nikki Haley at 12% and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on 11%.

Christie told a town hall event in New Hampshire that he no longer saw a path forward for his campaign, and repeated warnings about what would happen if Trump were to win the presidential election.

“I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump ever (to) be president of the United States again and that’s more important than my own personal ambition,” he said.

Republican strategist John Feehery said Christie dropping out might help Haley in New Hampshire, which will hold the second nominating contest later this month, because many Christie voters will likely switch to her.

But he said he could not see it helping her significantly in other nominating states.

In what appeared to be a hot mic moment ahead of his announcement at the town hall event, Christie seemed to cast doubt on Haley’s chances.

“She’s going to get smoked. You and I both know this. She’s not up to this,” he said.

He then mentioned DeSantis, whom Christie said had called him, “petrified that I would–” before the audio was cut.

Christie did not discuss his decision with Haley, a person briefed on Christie’s plans told Reuters before his announcement.

LONGSHOT BID

Christie, a former Trump ally turned critic who sought to position himself as the only Republican contender willing to go toe-to-toe with the pugnacious former president, had been seen as a longshot for the party’s nomination.

Since launching his bid in June, Christie has been a staple on cable news shows offering withering critiques of Trump, calling him unfit for office and arguing that he was morally responsible for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

While the broadsides earned Christie a sliver of support among Republicans wanting to move in a new direction, Trump’s tight grip on the party’s most active members meant Christie never rose above low single digits in national polls.

His departure eliminates the most vocal Trump antagonist from the race, although Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has grown increasingly critical of Trump in recent months.

Christie, 61, has repeatedly predicted that Trump would likely lose in the general election to Democratic President Joe Biden, given the four criminal cases hanging over the former president’s candidacy.

Christie ran for president in 2016 but ended his bid after a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primary and became the first major party figure to back Trump.

He helped run Trump’s debate preparations in 2020 but disavowed the former president following his false claims that he won the 2020 election.