Chris Christie Drops Out of 2024 Presidential Race

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has announced his withdrawal from the race to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, according to multiple published reports from unnamed sources.

Boost for Nikki Haley

This decision is expected to give a boost to GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, who currently holds the second position behind front-runner Donald Trump in most of the early state polls. Christie's supporters, who viewed him as the main anti-Trump Republican candidate, are likely to shift their support to Haley rather than turning towards Trump.

Impact on New Hampshire Primary

Christie's exit from the race could greatly benefit Haley, particularly in the upcoming New Hampshire primary on January 23rd. According to a RealClearPolitics moving average of polls, Haley currently enjoys 29% support in the state. If she were to absorb Christie's 12% support (which placed him third in the state), she would come close to Trump's leading 43% support.

Iowa Caucuses

However, the effect of Christie's departure is not expected to have a significant impact on the Iowa caucuses slated for Monday. In Iowa, Christie is currently polling fifth with only 3% support, behind Trump at 52%, Haley at 17%, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16%, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 7%, according to RCP's average of Iowa surveys.

Bloomberg News and NBC News have reported Christie's exit, citing unnamed sources. Christie is scheduled to make remarks at a campaign event in New Hampshire around 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Now read: Iowa GOP caucuses: Haley now 2nd in most recent polls, while Trump has a key support level to hit