Former GOP primary candidate Chris Christie has announced that he is suspending his campaign for president of the United States. Christie, who was the only candidate openly hostile to Donald Trump, decided to exit the race just days before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries. The former governor of New Jersey never really had a chance of winning the nomination and faced intense pressure to withdraw and unite the party’s anti-Trump vote.
While Christie’s withdrawal simplifies the GOP race and may hurt Trump, the former president still has a solid advantage. Christie’s departure has led to speculation about who will benefit the most from his exit, with former ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, immediately launching herself to win the support of the retired candidate. Haley, who congratulated Christie on a close campaign, is looking to earn his voters and build a strong and proud United States.
Christie’s withdrawal is a blow to those who had hoped for an alternative to Trump, as he was under pressure to unite the party’s anti-Trump vote behind a single candidate. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has previously stated that Christie had the opportunity to hand Trump a defeat and give Nikki Haley a victory in the state’s primaries.
A CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire indicated that Trump leads the voting intention of likely Republican primary voters in that state with 39%, followed by Haley with 32%, while Christie had 12% support. Among the others vying for their party’s nomination, Christie only has 3.6% voting intention.
The crowded Republican primaries have been simplified with Christie’s withdrawal, leaving Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramawamy as the main contenders. The former vice president, Mike Pence, has officially retired, along with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
Despite Christie’s belief that Trump will lose in the November presidential election and his warnings against nominating a candidate who has been indicted four times, his withdrawal seems unlikely to help Haley or the remaining candidates beat Trump in the primaries.