Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) will announce his 2024 White House candidacy “in the coming days,” New Hampshire news radio host Chris Ryan reported on Thursday.
Ryan reported that Christie’s campaign would be “focused on New Hampshire,” an early Republican primary state that often determines the success of a candidate’s campaign.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will be one of several donors supporting Christie’s 2024 run, Ryan reported.
Scoop: Multiple sources with direct knowledge are telling me that @ChrisChristie will be announcing a run for President in the coming days. The campaign will be focused on New Hampshire and will have the financial backing of Mets owner Steve Cohen, among others. #NHPolitics #FITN
— Chris Ryan (@ChrisRyan603) May 18, 2023
Ryan’s report comes after months of speculation and a statement from Christie that he would make a final decision by mid-May.
Last month, CNN reported that Christie met with donors and staffers to gauge interest in a presidential campaign.
“The New Jersey Republican sees himself as the only serious GOP candidate willing to take on former President Donald,” CNN reported at the time. “He also sees himself as a candidate who could appeal to enough independents to beat President Joe Biden in the general election, should Biden announce a reelection bid.”
The current 2024 Republican primary includes the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, along with Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, and Larry Elder.
Christie ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016 that saw him drop out after the New Hampshire primary, where he came in sixth place in a field that included nine candidates.
While Trump has consistently been at the top of Republican primary polls, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is widely expected to announce his campaign soon, has been polling in second place.
During a Washington, DC, event last month, Christie called a presidential run a “huge risk,” but said he would be prepared to debate Trump again.
“If it turns out that I’m on a debate stage in August of this year and Donald Trump decides to be on it, you can be sure that we’ll have some exchanges that I hope will be illuminating to the public about both him and me,” Christie said.
Despite his support of Trump in previous elections, Christie said the “line was crossed” when Trump claimed the 2020 election was rigged.
“There’s a difference between spinning politically to try to put yourself in a better position before the vote happens and after the vote happens to say it was ‘rigged,’” Christie said.
Christie took more shots in a late-April interview with Politico, telling the outlet that “No one else has the balls to” take on the former president.
He told Politico that Trump “can’t be a credible figure on the world stage; he can’t be a credible figure interacting with Congress; he will get nothing done.”
However, he said he would only run if he thought he had a chance at winning the election.
“I’m not a paid assassin,” he said. “When you’re waking up for your 45th morning at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manchester, you better think you can win, because that walk from the bed to the shower, if you don’t think you can win, it’s hard.”
Christie has not held political office since leaving the New Jersey gubernatorial office more than five years ago.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.