Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has publicly stated THE Washington Examiner stating that he intended to make a formal decision on whether or not to seek the GOP nomination for president in 2024 in the coming months.
Christie has had an up-and-down media presence since 2016, when he first ran for president, after dropping out of the race to join the Trump campaign, and later published a book in which he does not didn’t speak as highly of his former opponent-turned-boss, President Donald Trump, as he did on the campaign trail against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Since defeating President Trump in 2020, Christie has notably opposed Trump’s third attempt to take over the White House, going so far as to say in february that Trump was “sloppy” and the only “man to lose to Biden outside of Delaware.”
#EXCLUSIVE: @ChrisChristie has set a timeline for when he decides to run for president in 2024.
“Within the next 45 to 60 days,” he said @dcexaminernoting that a campaign is always something he is actively considering.https://t.co/KKo3PwLjnU
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 16, 2023
Let the past be the past?
At another time, Christie was considered a rising star in the Republican Party nationwide during his first term as governor of New Jersey. You could see how his confrontational style of politics and blue-collar talking points, mixed with often frank discussions of contentious issues, paved the way for Trump, then a citizen, to eventually arrive and perform better than Christie, sucking all its basis and attention.
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Despite his 15 minutes of fame, Christie failed to take the opportunity to run for the GOP nomination at the peak of his popularity in 2012, and by the time he finally entered the race in 2016, Trump had all but trampled all that potential he still had.
“I think running for President of the United States is an extremely personal decision,” Christie told the Examiner. “And it’s one that anyone considering it should be allowed to do on their own, regardless of anyone else’s thoughts on it.”
While Christie argued that any Republican can beat Biden but Trump, all big polls indicate that GOP voters want Trump back by a wide margin as a candidate, and of the announced and upcoming candidates, he may be the only one who can defeat Biden in the general election.
A difficult area to grasp
Christie isn’t the only Republican who thinks he has a shot at unseating current front-runner Donald Trump.
So far, the Republican realm Christie could potentially venture into includes former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who, like Christie, was also a popular governor when she was South Carolina’s executive. and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy who has held no previously elected office.
Others expected to make a decision by this summer include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who trails Trump in GOP voter polls but consistently ranks significantly second to other Republicans. Former Vice President Mike Pence also showed signs of accelerating, as well as former Secretary of Defense Mike Pompeo.
Recently, a potential candidate made it clear that he has no intention of running in 2024. Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced several weeks ago that he wouldn’t be looking nomination simply to “sell books” or to weaken the party’s chances of nominating a strong candidate.
And by “strong candidate,” Hogan means anyone but Trump.
Christie said of Hogan’s decision that “I have enormous respect for Governor Hogan. He’s my friend and I have a lot of respect for his decision. I think it will be a much smaller field than it was in 2016. And I think it would be good for us, given all the losses we’ve had in the last four years, to have a strong primer.
What do you think of Christie’s potential move? Let us know in the comments below and on social media.
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