Republican former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to declare his 2024 White House run in New Hampshire next week, according to several sources.
Christie, a staunch critic of former President Trump, has been considering a Republican presidential candidacy for months. The former governor, who campaigned for president in 2016, will likely declare his candidacy on Tuesday at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, The Hill reported.
The former New Jersey governor joins Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson as GOP candidates, per USA Today.
Another strong contender, former Vice President Mike Pence, has yet to join the race. Trump is also included in that list of Republican 2024 presidential candidates.
Chris Christie has been attacking Donald Trump to stand apart from the competition. He has blasted other Republicans running for office for failing to condemn the outgoing leader, even equating Trump with Lord Voldemort, the dreaded villain from the Harry Potter books and films.
Chris Christie to Enter the Race as an Underdog
He backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 but broke with him on election night 2020 when Donald Trump falsely claimed the election was falsified. At the time, he said that when one puts himself "ahead of our democracy as president of the United States, it's over."
Since then, Chris Christie has publicly criticized Trump, calling him "Putin's puppet" following Trump's pledge to stop Russia's conflict in Ukraine and slamming his "bravado" over his prosecution in a New York hush-money case.
Christie stressed his experience as a federal prosecutor and governor during his 2016 presidential campaign, making the case that governors make better presidents than businesspeople or senators.
The 60-year-old politician enters the contest as an underdog. According to a May 9-15 Reuters/Ipsos survey, just 1% of Republicans favored him, Reuters reported.
However, notable Republicans have endorsed him. Anthony Scaramucci, a hedge fund entrepreneur, told Semafor that he and billionaire Steve Cohen would support Christie in the GOP presidential primaries.
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