Ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie files to run for president

Chris Christie has filed to run for president in 2024.

The former New Jersey governor, who got smoked in the 2016 campaign, has been hinting at a run for weeks but formally filed the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.

In April, he boasted that he’d be the only Republican capable of defeating Donald Trump — despite his previous failure on that front.

FILE - Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering during a town hall style meeting at New England College, April 20, 2023, in Henniker, N.H. — FILE – Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a gathering during a town hall style meeting at New England College, April 20, 2023, in Henniker, N.H. (Charles Krupa/AP)

“[Trump] needs to be called out and needs to be called out by somebody who knows him,” Christie said. “Nobody knows Donald Trump better than I do.”

But Christie evidently isn’t the only one who sees a path to victory. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lead early polls in a crowded field that also includes former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, ex-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and a few other long-shot candidates.

Former Vice President Mike Pence also formally entered the race Monday. Pence is expected to launch his campaign Wednesday in Iowa, while Christie has an event scheduled for Tuesday night in New Hampshire.

[ Trump leads DeSantis by 15% in new GOP presidential poll, Pence and Haley trail far behind ]

Christie has implied that he’d love to meet Trump on a debate stage.

“I’m not dumb,” he said in a recent podcast. “The way to win is to beat the guy who’s ahead. And so what would a campaign look like? A campaign would look like a direct frontal challenge to Donald Trump trying to return to the presidency.”

More nonsense from Donald Trump last night. Fact: He promised to build a big beautiful wall on the border. Fact: He did not deliver & immigrants are pouring over the border. Fact: He said Mexico would pay for it. Fact: We have not gotten one peso yet. He failed us on immigration.

— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) May 11, 2023

Trump and Christie were formally friends, and Christie was one of the first people to endorse Trump after he dropped out in 2016.

But Christie has said he left Trump behind after his friend refused to accept the results of the 2020 election. Christie has since argued that Republicans need to move away from Trump if they hope to win elections in the future.

“As Republicans, we need to free ourselves from the quicksand of endless grievances,” he wrote in a 2021 book. “We need to turn our attention to the future and quit wallowing in the past. We need to face the realities of the 2020 election and learn — not hide — from them.”

With News Wire Services

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