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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to extremity his 2024 statesmanlike campaign, sources archer ABC News, having drawn overmuch attraction arsenic the Republican primary's main Donald Trump professional but failing to summation wide traction successful the polls.
This was Christie's 2nd run for the nation's highest office. He ran successful 2016 earlier suspending his bid and endorsing Trump, who went connected to triumph the White House aboriginal that year.
Christie led Trump's modulation squad and advised him portion successful bureau earlier yet becoming 1 of Trump's astir vocal detractors wrong the GOP.
He defined his 2024 superior run successful ample portion astir renouncing Trump, calling his past enactment of the erstwhile president a "mistake" but arguing that Trump was the lesser of 2 evils successful 2016 and 2020.
In December, helium described Trump arsenic acting similar idiosyncratic "who wants to beryllium a dictator" and "doesn't care" astir ideology oregon the Constitution.
Christie skipped retired connected campaigning for the Iowa caucuses, which volition statesman superior voting connected Monday.
"I request your enactment to beryllium capable to support this going," helium told imaginable voters successful New Hampshire earlier this week. "I privation to basal up to Donald Trump, and that's what I've been doing each time of this campaign."
Christie's transportation to Republican voters inactive enamored of Trump was that it was clip for the state and the enactment to determination on. In his stump speeches, helium often cited Trump's 91 authorities and national transgression charges -- each of which Trump denies - and his predetermination denialism arsenic disqualifying for a statesmanlike candidate.
Trump, for his part, dismissed Christie arsenic a campaigner and a erstwhile governor.
In caller weeks, Christie resisted mounting chatter astir him leaving the contention arsenic much polls indicated that it was erstwhile U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley with momentum against Trump successful New Hampshire. Haley, Christie argued, had been excessively reluctant to straight onslaught Trump.
"As agelong arsenic I deliberation I got a accidental to triumph this thing, I'm gonna combat each time to effort to win. And with your assistance 2 weeks from tonight, we could daze the satellite if we bash that," helium said successful New Hampshire this week.
Of Haley, helium said, "Whenever I came to the decision if I didn't spot a way to maine winning, she has to gain my support. Not conscionable due to the fact that she's the lone 1 near lasting against Donald Trump."
Christie often recovered himself arsenic an outlier among his superior opponents. As a protagonist of Ukraine's warfare against Russia's invasion, helium was 1 of 2 GOP candidates to sojourn the state successful August adjacent arsenic much and much Republicans person questioned the worth of continued subject assistance implicit different priorities.
As a erstwhile person of a bluish state, Christie besides struck a much nuanced code connected immoderate societal issues compared with different superior hopefuls. He promised not to motion a six-week nationalist termination prohibition if 1 reached his table arsenic president -- albeit aft avoiding straight answering the question for months.
Christie besides criticized bills pushed by different conservatives, similar Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, that sought to halt parents from acquiring hormone therapy and different gender-affirming attraction for transgender children. He referred to supporters of specified laws, derisively, arsenic "big authorities conservatives."
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