Former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he “intend[s]” to be the GOP presidential nominee in 2024, his latest indication that he is running against former President Donald Trump, he told the Daily Beast.
Christie, who ran for the GOP nomination in 2016 against Trump, has been weighing another presidential bid while traveling to key early primary states. The former governor believes that he is the best “alternative” candidate for president in next year’s election, and said that he won’t support a Trump nominee, according to the Daily Beast.
“I am the viable Trump alternative,” said Christie. “I think we’ll lose if Trump’s a nominee. That’s why I intend to be the nominee.”
MANCHESTER, NH – FEBRUARY 06: Republican presidential candidates New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) and Donald Trump share a laugh during a commercial break in the Republican presidential debate at St. Anselm College February 6, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Sponsored by ABC News and the Independent Journal Review, this is the final televised debate before voters go to the polls for the New Hampshire primary on February 9.
Christie previously told Politico that while he feels confident in having a message and that it’s a good time for him personally to run, he is still trying to figure out how he could see a path to the White House.
“I had someone ask me yesterday on one of these phone calls, ‘Well, explain to me the exact path that gets you there.’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t,’” Christie told Politico. (RELATED: Chris Christie Suggests He’s The Only Potential Candidate Who Can Beat Trump)
The Real Clear Politics (RCP) average for a national 2024 Republican nomination, based on polls conducted between March 22 and April 6, indicates that Christie is polling at 1% and the former president has 52.4% support.
The former governor said in March that he will make a decision as to whether he will run for president in 2024 within the next 60 days.
“The governor has yet to make a decision on running and is planning on making one in the next few weeks. Anything beyond that is just speculation,” Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for Christie, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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