Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has recently joined the 2024 presidential race after filing paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.
The Republican lawmaker is expected to officially announce his run for president of the United States on Tuesday during a town hall at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. The situation comes as the state rejected him in 2016, the last time that he ran for president,
Chris Christie's Political Career
In 2011, Christie served his first term as governor of New Jersey, and at the time, he received an invitation from Nancy Reagan to speak at the presidential library named for her late husband. It was a stage that all GOP lawmakers seeking the White House had to cross.
The New Jersey lawmaker had already taken himself out of the running in the 2012 field to challenge President Barack Obama's bid for a second term. This came even as Republican insiders pushed him to reconsider his decision over concerns for Mitt Romney's chances for success, as per Inquirer.
In 2013, Christie ran for a second term, where he emphasized his ability to work with Democratic lawmakers in Trenton and across his home state. The situation resulted in the Republicans achieving a 22-point Election Day victory in a deep blue state.
More than two weeks later, the former New Jersey governor took over as chair of the Republican Governors Association. It was just the type of organization an aspiring presidential candidate could utilize to foster relationships and bag big-dollar donors.
Despite being talked up and a super PAC being launched with eyes on the 2016 elections, critics complained that Christie's big sweep was all about himself. This means he left his fellow GOP members behind as his wide margin showed no signs of "coattails" down the ballot in legislated races that Democratic lawmakers dominated.
Downed Hopes for the Presidency
While Christie was once considered a frontrunner in the 2016 nomination, his campaign struggled amid allegations that his aides closed lanes on a bridge into New York City as a form of retaliation against a local mayor, according to the Daily Mail.
The scandal spread just after the Republican won his re-election bid as New Jersey governor, and it involved triggering traffic jams on various access lanes to the George Washington Bridge. The effort was made to try and punish Fort Lee's mayor for allegedly not backing Christie's re-election campaign.
Authorities sentenced two of Christie's aides to 13 months and 18 months in prison, respectively, before the Supreme Court overturned their convictions. The former New Jersey governor denied knowledge of the incident and was free of prosecution. However, it was still seen as a death knell for his political career and his hopes for the 2016 presidential elections.
Now, Christie is expected to join the town hall event next week, where he will take questions from anchor Anderson Cooper and an audience of voters. The 60-year-old Republican has moved to set himself apart from other GOP candidates by verbally criticizing his party's frontrunner, former United States President Donald Trump, said USA Today.
