(NewsNation) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race just days before the Iowa caucus, he announced at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire, on Wednesday.
“It’s clear to me tonight there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States,” Christie said, later adding: “It’s the right thing for me to do.”
Christie launched his White House run in June 2023 and positioned himself as a conservative blue state governor with a track record of dealing with “big issues.” He served as governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. He previously ran for president in 2016.
The former governor’s announcement narrows the Republican primary field. He previously rejected the idea that ending his presidential bid would help other candidates like Republican Nikki Haley defeat former President Donald Trump.
A recent CNN/UNH poll conducted in New Hampshire this week showed that about 4 in 10 likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire choose Trump and about one-third pick Haley. Christie trailed behind both candidates in the poll at 12%, and it found that about two-thirds of Christie supporters would pick Haley as their top alternative to Christie.
Christie has insisted he would stay in the race as long as he could see a path to the GOP nomination and that he would not make an endorsement based on politics like he did when he supported Trump years ago. During his 2024 campaign, Christie has been one of Trump’s sharpest critics.
“My goal has never been to be just a voice against the hate and division and the selfishness of what our party has become under Donald Trump,” Christie said at the town hall.
“I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that’s more important than my own personal ambition,” he added.
At the town hall, Christie did not endorse any of his competitors. Before the event, he was caught on a hot mic criticizing Haley.
“She’s going to get smoked,” he said in an audio broadcast on the campaign’s livestream feed. “She’s not up to this.”
In a statement, Haley commended Christie “on a hard-fought campaign.” DeSantis posted on social media that he agreed with Christie that Haley would “get smoked.”
Trump took to Truth Social in response: “I hear Chris Christie is dropping out of the race today — I might even get to like him again! Anyway, he was just caught on a hot mic making a very truthful statement: ‘She’s gonna get smoked…You and I both know it, she’s not up to this.’”
This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.