By Joseph Ax
(Reuters) – Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to officially announce his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday in New Hampshire, joining a growing Republican field led by Donald Trump.
Christie, who served as an adviser to Trump’s successful 2016 campaign but has since become a vocal critic of the former president for his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, is set to hold a town hall at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. .
A former federal prosecutor, Christie, 60, argued he was the only potential rival with the skills and the will to attack Trump directly.
However, Christie hasn’t fared well in public opinion polls so far. He won just 1% support from potential Republican primary voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May, compared with 49% support from Trump and 19% support from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Other Republicans seeking to challenge President Joe Biden include former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and US Senator Tim Scott. Former Vice President Mike Pence is expected to enter the race on Wednesday.
Christie ran for president in 2016 but ended his bid after a disappointing end to the New Hampshire primary and became the first major party figure to endorse Trump.
He has since urged Republicans to disavow Trump’s claims about the 2020 election and told reporters he would not vote for Trump in 2024 even if Trump won the nomination.
This strategy may appeal to Republican voters who are ready to overtake Trump, but it’s unclear whether a Republican can prevail without support from Trump’s ever-loyal base.
As an underdog, Christie could end up playing spoiler, a position he found himself in in 2016, when his dissection of US Senator Marco Rubio during a debate days before Christie stood up. pull out of the race blunted Rubio’s momentum.
Christie first emerged as a national figure through his two terms from 2009 to 2017 as governor of Democratic-leaning New Jersey, where his divisive approach to politics earned him plaudits from admirers and accusations of intimidation from critics.
His tenure was tarnished by the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal, in which two allies deliberately closed lanes on the heavily trafficked George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York to punish a local mayor for failing to approve the re-election of Christie.
Christie said he was unaware of the plot at the time, but witnesses at a criminal trial for the two allies said the governor knew of the lane closures.
Despite his early support for Trump, Christie was sidelined as vice president and attorney general, and was fired as head of Trump’s transition team just three days after the 2016 election.
(Reporting by Joseph Axe; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)