Chris Christie, formerly the governor of New Jersey, has become the latest to withdraw from the Republican primary race for President.
His criticism of President Donald Trump had been relentless throughout debates and on the campaign trail. On Wednesday, Jan. 10, he withdrew from the race five days before the Iowa caucuses.
“I promise you this: I will make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be President of the United States again,” Christie posted on Twitter-X. “That’s more important than my own personal ambition.”
Christie was polling at just 3 percent in the right-leaning Trafalgar Group poll entering Iowa, with Trump leading the field at 52 percent. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Halley were the closest in the field at 18 percent.
“President Trump has already vanquished eight challengers before a single vote has been cast because Republican voters want a strong leader who will reboot our economy, secure our border, make America energy independent again, and keep our families safe,” Make America Great Again Inc. spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wrote in an email.
In the Real Clear Politics average poll, Trump has a Secretariat like lead in Iowa of 52.2 percent, with Haley marginally leading DeSantis, 16.6 and 16.4 percent respectively. Christie was polling at 3.4 percent.
“I commend [Christie] on a hard-fought campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election: the chaos and drama of the past or a new generation of conservative leadership,” Haley wrote on Twitter-X. “I will fight to earn every vote, so together we can build a strong and proud America.”
In the New Hampshire primary, Haley stands to tighten the margin with Trump, according to the Real Clear Politics average poll. Trump leads the field with 43 percent support, followed by Haley at 29.3 percent. Christie was polling at 12 percent in New Hampshire and DeSantis now appears a distant third place at 6.3 percent.