Chris Christie drops out of 2024 presidential race

The former New Jersey governor told supporters at a town hall meeting in Windham, N.H., on Wednesday that he would no longer be campaigning for the White House. Christie criticized Republican front-runner and former President Donald Trump and said he regretted supporting Trump in 2016. Before his speech, Christie was heard on a live microphone saying, “She’s gonna get smoked. And you and I both know it. She’s not up to this.” Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley remains in the race and will face Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tonight in a televised debate. Christie also was overheard saying DeSantis had called him while he was “petrified.”

Why is Christie dropping out now? He has ranked far behind many of his Republican competitors in recent polls, commanding less than 4 percent of Republicans’ support nationwide, according to Real Clear Politics. He also failed to qualify for the final debate.

Dig deeper: Listen to Paul Butler and Nick Eicher’s discussion with Mark Caleb Smith about what makes the upcoming Iowa caucus different from a primary.