Chris Christie 2024 presidential campaign

Christie served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey from January 2002 to December 2008 during the presidency of George W. Bush. In 2009, Christie was elected governor of New Jersey, defeating incumbent Democratic governor Jon Corzine. He was reelected by a wide margin in 2013, defeating State Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono. On June 30, 2015, he announced his campaign for the Republican nomination for president in the 2016 Republican primaries. He dropped out of the race on February 10, 2016, after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary,[3] and endorsed eventual winner Donald Trump.[4] He left office as governor of New Jersey in 2018 and was succeeded by Democrat Phil Murphy.[5]

Christie was an ally of Trump during most of his presidency, but he refused to support claims of voter fraud after the 2020 presidential election because Trump could not provide him with any evidence.[6][7] During the January 6 Capitol attack, Christie phoned Trump to attempt to persuade him to end the violence, but Trump did not pick up.[8] Thereafter, Christie distanced himself from Trump and voiced support for Trump's second impeachment.[9]

On June 6, 2023, Christie filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to enter the race, and announced his presidential bid later that day in Manchester, New Hampshire.[15][16]

On June 12, 2023, Christie held a town hall meeting hosted by Anderson Cooper at CNN. When asked what separates himself from other Republican candidates, Christie responded, "I governed in a blue state, and made things happen".[17] Despite other Republican presidential candidates vowing to remove Christopher Wray as director of the FBI, when asked, Christie said he would keep him if elected president.[17]

On July 12, Christie announced that his campaign had met the donor requirement to participate in the August primary debate.[18] In order to participate in that debate, Christie was required to sign a loyalty pledge from the Republican National Committee stating he would support the eventual nominee. Christie has criticized the pledge, calling it a "useless idea," but nevertheless signed the pledge in order to debate.[19]

On August 4, 2023, Christie made an unannounced trip to Ukraine, visiting the city of Bucha, the site of a massacre of civilians by Russian forces.[20] Later in the day, Christie met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, praising Ukraine's fight against Russia and reiterating his support for arming Ukraine. According to Christie, he and Zelenskyy did not discuss the U.S. presidential race. Christie was the second Republican presidential candidate, following Mike Pence, to visit Ukraine.[21]

On October 3, Christie and opponent Vivek Ramaswamy were due to debate in a segment on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News. However, the Republican National Committee (RNC) contacted Baier and threatened to ban Christie and Ramaswamy from attending future primary debates if they were to debate on Baier's show.[22] Christie has regarded the RNC's statements as a "cause for concern".[23]

A New Jersey Republican, Christie is considered to be a moderate conservative.[34]

In his early political career, Christie opposed same sex marriage and vetoed several bills that would have legalized it in New Jersey while he was governor.[35] His stance on same sex marriage has evolved over time;[36] in 2013 he voiced support for New Jersey's civil union law, which extended to gay couples the same legal benefits of marriage with regards to state law;[37] and in 2022 he said he "respects same-sex marriage and considers it legally settled."[38]

As governor, he refused to legalize marijuana in New Jersey,[39] although his successor, Phil Murphy, legalized marijuana for New Jersey adults in 2021.[40] Christie has said he supports certain gun control measures and accepts the scientific consensus on climate change.[41][42]

Christie has consistently polled between one percent and six percent throughout his campaign.[43] He has dismissed the polls and stated that higher numbers do not necessarily indicate a primary victory.[44]

In the months leading up to his announcement, various media outlets viewed Christie as a likely contender in the Republican primaries, but pre-election polling showed him polling far behind Trump, who had announced his third presidential campaign in November 2022.[45]

In an August 7 poll by NH Journal, Christie tied for second place with Ron DeSantis in the primary state of New Hampshire with both at nine percent.[46] An August 17 poll by FiveThirtyEight placed Christie at second place in New Hampshire with 14 percent, only behind Donald Trump, who polled at 34 percent.[47] Christie has focused on New Hampshire and hopes to defeat Trump there.[48] When interviewed by Chris Cuomo on September 14, Christie pledged that, if he does not end up "top 4" in the New Hampshire primary, he would drop out of the race.[49]

Christie has seen a surge of support among Democratic voters since he announced his candidacy.[50] In a New York Times/Siena College poll in September 2023, 24 percent of Democratic or Democratic leaning voters said they would likely vote for Christie if he became the Republican nominee.[51]

Christie was named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and 2013.[52][53]

Approval ratings during Christie's tenure as governor ranged from a record high to a record low.[54] Following Hurricane Sandy and his response to it, various polls indicated his approval rating was near 80 percent.[55][56] It remained above 60 percent until January 2014[57][58][59] and above 50 percent until August 2014.[60][61][62] Christie finished his second term as governor with an approval rating between 19 percent and 22 percent—the lowest for any governor at that time.[54][63][64] In a poll conducted by Monmouth University in late April and early May 2021—three years after Christie left office—64 percent of New Jersey residents viewed Christie unfavorably, while 26 percent viewed him favorably, showing only a slight improvement since he left office.[64] Of those questioned, 19 percent said that he would make a good president, while 59 percent said that he would not.[64]