Chris Christie is facing new calls to drop out of the New Hampshire primary amidst polling that shows him taking votes from Nikki Haley, likely assuring a Trump victory in the Granite State.
The former New Jersey governor, who has appeared to be running solely to prevent another Trump term in the White House, has viewed the January 23 primary election in New Hampshire as the make-or-break state for his campaign. He’s currently trailing Donald Trump and Nikki Haley, placing third in almost every poll with around 12 percent.
The Washington Examiner reports:
“It’s time for voters to tell Christie what we all know, which is that his campaign isn’t stopping anyone and frankly, it’s helping Trump, whom he proudly endorsed in 2016 and supposedly opposes in 2024,” Stand for America Fund, Inc. spokeswoman Brittany Yanick said in a statement.
Christie campaign spokesman Karl Rickett told the Washington Examiner in a statement, “Christie is telling the truth about Trump.”
“Haley is clearly running for second place,” he added, “and we look forward to seeing what Brittany Yanick and her friends have to say when Haley endorses Trump.”
SFA Fund Inc. has spent most of its time going after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as Haley fights him for the chance to become the leading Trump alternative. A few criticisms have been lobbed at Trump too. The Christie statement, however, represents a shift for the PAC, which ordinarily doesn’t bother to hit candidates so far behind Haley.
While Christie has staked his claim to being the only Republican willing to “Stand up” to Donald Trump, it’s clear that, like 2016, his lingering in the race merely boosts the former president’s chances at a third presidential nomination.
In a recent interview with Hugh Hewitt, noted The National Review, ‘Christie conceded that, at most, 15 percent of his support would transfer to Trump were he to drop out (which, if he’s at around 10 percent, would give Trump a boost of one or two points max). Christie answered ‘yes’ when Hewitt asked him, ‘Does your data show that a significant number of Christie voters would vote for Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis if you dropped out?’ Christie also suggested some voters would stay home if he were to drop out.
But since Christie likes to pride himself on speaking hard truths, here’s some truth about his candidacy: Christie is never going to be the Republican nominee. He is wildly unpopular among Republican primary voters. The only reason he has low double-digit support in New Hampshire is that independents (including those who are effectively Democrats) can vote in the primary. Going into the campaign, he hoped to be able to dress down Trump on the debate stage. But when Trump refused to show up to debates, Christie was deprived of that opportunity.”
On @thepulseofnh this AM, @GovChrisSununu says @UNHSurveyCenter poll "is very accurate, matches our internal poll."
Says "A vote for @GovChristie is a wasted vote, I'm still hopeful he'll get out of the race."@NHGOP #FITN— NH Journal (@NewHampJournal) January 9, 2024
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who once campaigned for Christie but ended up endorsing Haley, recently encouraged the former New Jersey governor to drop out and endorse the former UN Ambassador.
“A vote for Christie is a wasted vote, I’m still hopeful he’ll get out of the race,” the popular governor told The New Hampshire Journal.
