Former Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will throw his hat into the ring and run for President in 2024, according to an announcement on Tuesday evening. He made the formal announcement today during a town hall and community event in Goffstown, New Hampshire.
He will join a growing list of contenders for the Republican nomination. They include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former North Carolina governor Nikki Haley, former Vice-president Mike Pence, and Tim Scott, the only African American Republican Senator.
Christie served as the governor of New Jersey between 2010 to 2018. He ran for President in 2016, coming in 6th place and ultimately losing the Republican nomination to Donald Trump. However, Christie is a long-time Trump political and business ally. However, he eventually severed ties with Trump and has become an outspoken and frequent critic of the former President. Much of Christie’s blistering condemnation of Trump stems from the former President’s countless legal and scandalous activities, notably the January 6th attempted insurrection and multiple criminal investigations and lawsuits.
The two-term former governor was also involved in several dy high-profile controversies and scandals–most notably Bridgegate, Beachgate, a sub-par performance during and after Hurricane Sandy, and a historically low approval level upon leaving office that branded him as the most unpopular governor in the state’s history.
Lastly, some politico observers say Christie is a longshot and has a slim chance of dismantling Trump, who, according to most polls, retains a significant, double-digit lead over his Republican opponents for the 2024 presidency. Ashley Koning, an assistant professor at Rutgers University and the director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center in New Brunswick 2024, said, “He’s averaging 1 percent in an increasingly crowded field and has a low favorability rating among GOP voters.”
However, Koning added that Christie’s bold, raw, and in-your-face political style and language match Trump’s. And Christie has not shied away from loudly criticizing and attacking Trump. “If he can hone his political talents to take down Trump….other Republican presidential candidates, politicians and voters in the never-Trump camp may be grateful,” she concluded.
