Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has not held elected office in six years but may be jumping into the 2024 campaign for president. The Republican told news outlets that he may join the race for the Republican nomination as a means of sinking the bid of former President Donald Trump.
Christie has made significant moves towards a potential presidential bid, including speaking in New Hampshire, an early primary state. During an event at St. Anselm’s College, Christie implied that he may run for president to try and harm Trump’s campaign.
Christie tells NH crowd he is only one who can topple Trump https://t.co/X0QKLWjPlT pic.twitter.com/zHRWGxv5Vj
— New York Post (@nypost) March 28, 2023
Christie referenced his attack on fellow 2016 candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) that helped to sink the Florida senator’s campaign. Christie said that he was not afraid of being attacked by Trump, saying that “you better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco because that’s the only thing that’s gonna defeat Donald Trump.”
Christie dropped out of the 2016 race after receiving just over 7% in the Granite State’s primary, coming in sixth place.
For many potential primary voters, Christie appears to be lacking a base. While he was regarded as a conservative governor of a Democratic-leaning state, questions about ties to a major political scandal have dogged his political fortunes.
The New Jersey Republican was first elected in 2009, part of the wider backlash against the policies of the Obama administration. He defeated embattled New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D).
Christie soon increased his conservative profile, fighting the state’s powerful public sector unions.
Christie was considered a potential favorite in the 2012 presidential election but declined to seek the nomination that year. The former governor received considerable praise for his approach to 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, as well as pushback from conservatives for not criticizing President Obama’s response to the storm.
Following Sandy, Christie received more than 60% in his reelection bid in 2013. However, following the election revelations emerged that several of Christie’s appointees worked together to close lanes of a bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey during rush hour.
The scandal, dubbed “Bridgegate” by the media, affected Christie’s second term and his 2016 bid for the White House. Christie blamed the scandal for Trump passing him over as his running mate, instead selecting Mike Pence.
