Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Chris Christie could enter 2024 race for president in a matter of days

Former Trump ally is now a vocal critic of twice-impeached GOP frontrunner

Josh Marcus
San Francisco
Friday 19 May 2023 23:43 BST
Comments
Chris Christie blames Trump for inciting Jan 6

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chris Christie will reportedly be entering the 2024 presidential race soon.

The Republican former New Jersey governor will make an announcement in a matter of days, and focus on the key primary state of New Hampshire, according to New Hampshire Today, citing multiple anonymous sources with knowledge of the campaign.

The campaign will reportedly be backed by billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.

Mr Christie, a former Trump ally turned vocal critic, has not yet publicly announced a campaign.

Mr Cohen, who spent millions supporting pro-Christie groups during the 2016 election, has declined to comment on his potential support of the former New Jersey leader going forward.

The former governor has spoken openly about considering a run.

He told Semafor in April he was considering entering the crowded GOP field, and wouldn’t enter the race if he “couldn’t win."

"If I get into the race, I’ll make it interesting," he said, telling the publication he wouldn’t be a “wallflower” and would directly criticise Donald Trump.

Former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci has said he will back a Christie run.

During an April visit to New Hampshire, Mr Christie went at the former president.

“Donald Trump is a TV star, nothing more, nothing less,” he said. “Let me suggest to you that in putting him back in the White House, the reruns will be worse than the original show.”

A poll released this month shows that among New Jersey voters, the vast majority of Republicans prefer Donald Trump, regardless of who else is running, though mentioning the former president’s legal troubles gave Mr Christie a modest bump.

Mr Trump remains the dominant Republican candidate, with more than twice the support of his nearest rival Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, according to an analysis from FiveThirtyEight.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in