Chris Christie dropping out of the race may mean Nikki Haley can put up a stronger challenge in key early primary states.
Donald Trump could yet be in a competitive GOP primary election after former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pulled out of the race.
Christie, an ex-Trump ally who is now a critic of the former president, confirmed he is suspending his 2024 campaign just days ahead of the Iowa caucus, at a town hall in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
Christie was already facing calls to pull out of the race so Republican voters could unify around one challenger to Trump, with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley looking like the most viable candidate to face off against the former president. Trump has long been the overwhelming frontrunner in the GOP presidential primary, often leading polls by more than 40 and 50 points from his nearest challenger.
However, Haley’s 2024 campaign has been gathering momentum in recent weeks, with a recent American Research Group poll revealing Trump is leading Haley in New Hampshire by four points (37 percent to 33 percent). A CNN New Hampshire poll showed Haley seven points behind Trump in the state—39 to 32 percent—which will hold the first-in-the-nation primary election on January 23.
The poll placed Christie in third place with 12 percent, with 65 percent of those who backed the former New Jersey governor saying they would support Haley in the primary if he was not in the race. Fewer than one in 10 of Christie supporters in the CNN poll said they would back any other candidate beyond Haley if he dropped out of the race, with 13 percent saying they would not vote at all.
