As former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie enters the 2024 race for the White House, he has one mission: torpedo Donald Trump’s campaign. But his low popularity among Republicans could thwart his efforts to mount a head-on attack.
Seven years ago, his failed bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination included fireworks on the debate stage, disappointing poll results and a surprisingly early endorsement by Mr. Trump.
Now, Mr Christie will need to take the current front-runner down a peg and then position himself as the winner.
“A lot of people are going to be gunning for Trump,” says Doug Haye, a Republican strategist and former director of party communications. “There’s going to be a battle royal with everyone trying to throw Andre the Giant out of the ring.”
If that happens, he says, then the entire leadership race will be reset.
Mr. Christie officially filed the paperwork for his White House bid on Tuesday, but the brash New Jersey native started the campaign at the back of the presidential pack.
Of the candidates announced so far, only Mr. Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have any kind of broad support in opinion polls. Mr. Christie, according to JEE News national poll of Republicans released last week, had the support of less than 1 percent of respondents. A Quinnipiac poll put it at 2%. Mr. Trump led the field by more than 30 percent in each.
To change this dynamic, Mr. Christie will have to take advantage of limited opportunities. Most notable is the upcoming Republican presidential debate series, which will begin in late August.
What happens next?
- The Republican nominee will begin campaigning and hold a series of televised debates in the coming months.
- Elections in each state — called primary elections — begin the following February.
- The person with the most support will be crowned at the Republican convention in the summer of 2024.
- The winner of the nomination is likely to face Democrat Joe Biden in the November 2024 general election.
In 2016, Mr. Christie used a debate shortly before the New Hampshire primary to take out Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who at the time was heavily programmed and robotic in the polls. The former governor’s job will be to use his sharp tongue and aggressive demeanor to achieve similar success against Mr. Trump.
“You better have somebody on that stage who can do to him what I did to Marco, because that’s the only thing that’s going to defeat Donald Trump,” Mr. Christie said in March. Mr Christie said in March. “And that means you have to be fearless, because he’ll come back to you.”
Republican strategist Doug Hay says Mr. Christie has the political instincts and talent to create a similar debate moment this time around.
“Christie’s not someone who’s just coming to do paid speaking fees, book tours and all the other things that people who don’t really have a chance get into the race to do,” he says. they say. “Clearly he’s someone who could potentially pop the Trump balloon.”
The problem for Mr. Christie is that he may never get the chance.
- One thing Mike Pence needs to defeat his old boss.
- Can DeSantis beat Trump in the 2024 race?
The Republican Party has set some strict requirements to qualify for its debates, including a minimum number of campaign donors from across the United States and at least 1% support in the three most recent party-approved public opinion polls. .
Even if the former governor qualifies, Mr. Trump is reportedly considering skipping the primary debates, leaving non-Trump candidates to battle it out.
Outside the debates, Mr. Christie’s plan hinges on pitching to voters in New Hampshire, a state that follows Iowa on the Republican presidential primary calendar.
He will have his work cut out for him there. A recent poll of Republican voters in the state showed Mr. Christie with a net approval rating of minus 44%, the worst of any declared or potential candidate. The majority of voters in this state know it — and don’t like it.
Polls show that Republican voters like Mr. Trump. It reflects the reality of the party being transformed by Mr Trump and his populist style of politics.
