- Chris Christie is withdrawing from the Republican nomination for president, he announced to supporters.
- The former governor of the US state of New Jersey is a vocal critic of former Republican President Donald Trump.
- His exit from the primary comes just days before the first round of Republican nominations in Iowa.
It was clear to him “that there is no way for me to win the nomination,” Christie announced at an event in Windham, New Hampshire. And he definitely doesn’t want to contribute to former US President Donald Trump becoming president again.
Christie always attacked Trump harshly
Christie was referring to the fact that he did not want to capture potential votes for other party members and thus possibly minimize their chances against Trump. The 61-year-old is a former confidant of Trump, but has now turned away from the ex-president and is one of his toughest critics. Unlike the other candidates, Christie had always attacked Trump harshly in the past weeks of the election campaign.
According to polls, Donald Trump is currently by far the most promising candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, ahead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. Christie, on the other hand, hardly played a role in polls. Other remaining candidates also rank in the single digits.
Primary elections begin in a few days
Christie’s exit from the race comes just days before the start of the Republican primary, which will determine the party’s presidential candidate. The first vote on this will take place next week in the state of Iowa.
The actual presidential election is scheduled for the beginning of November. In recent weeks, other Republican presidential candidates have already withdrawn from the election campaign, including former Vice President Mike Pence.