Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared that he intends to continue in the Republican primary contest until the nominating convention in the summer of next year.
In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Christie disregarded a recent CNN poll that indicates he is trailing former president Donald Trump and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley in New Hampshire, a state he is very interested in winning. Christie dismissed the notion of collaborating with Haley or withdrawing early to unite support for a contender who could effectively challenge Trump, the undisputed front-runner in the contest.
“I think Gov. Haley and I both have the same goal, and that is to be president of the United States,” Christie said, as noted by New York Magazine. “I think we’re showing great momentum in New Hampshire. We’ve been gaining over the last couple of weeks. I think we’re going to continue to gain in that fight. And I think we’re going to do very, very well in New Hampshire on January 23.”
“This idea of people just doing math and adding up numbers—that’s not the way voters vote. And so, you know, I would say to everybody out there, let’s let the campaign move forward,” Christie added.
When asked if he plans to remain in the race through the New Hampshire primary, Christie said, “I expect to be in this race through to the convention, Dana. And so yes, absolutely.”
In yet another sign that Christie intends to stay in the race for the foreseeable future, he also announced that he is planning to campaign in Michigan, where the primary is held in late February.
Christie stated in an interview with ABC News that while his campaign is currently “focusing most of our time and energy” on New Hampshire, “our next two focuses… will be South Carolina and Michigan.”
“We believe in both of those states; we could do quite well,” Christie told ABC News’s Jonathan Karl. “We’ve already been on the ground in South Carolina several times in this campaign, and we’re getting ready to start going to Michigan.”
“You know, I see people now finally starting to dig in, figure out who they think is saying the things that they want to hear, and tell them the truth to the voters in New Hampshire. I think that’s going to make a huge difference,” Christie said.
“You look at those numbers; John McCain was in third place at this point in 2007, going into the ‘08 primary. That’s exactly where I am, and we think we’re going to have a very similar result,” he added.
Christie also criticized Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for their lack of vocal opposition to Trump despite his obvious lead. He claimed that the three attacks could be the difference between Trump’s downfall and the election of a different contender.
“If all three of us would go after Donald Trump, well then, the most credible amongst the three of us in terms of those, those critiques would wind up winning, winning this primary, I believe. And so we need to all be talking about the guy who’s in first place,” Christie said.
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The former New Jersey governor, who was engulfed in scandal toward the end of his tenure, was the first among the other GOP contenders in 2016 to endorse Trump and became a top outside adviser to the then-president. He also chaired Trump’s prominent commission on opioids.
However, a rift emerged between the two following Trump’s unsuccessful efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden. Over the past three years, Christie has transformed into one of the most vocal Trump critics within the Republican Party.
Throughout his campaign, Christie has dogged Trump and challenged him to show up to the GOP debates so they can square off face-to-face.
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