US Republican primaries: anti-Trump candidate Chris Christie gives up

He was the only candidate in his party to openly criticize Donald Trump. Chris Christie announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the Republican primary, days before the Iowa caucuses that open the ball in a race dominated by the former president.

“I am suspending my campaign for president of the United States,” he told supporters in Windham, New Hampshire. “Tonight I am quite certain that I have no chance of winning the nomination” from the Republican Party to the White House, he justified.

A former governor of New Jersey, the 61-year-old was once a supporter of Donald Trump but has since portrayed the billionaire as self-centered and dishonest. A change that saw him trail in the polls to the point where he did not meet the party’s criteria for Wednesday’s debate.

Trump still leads

Four candidates are still running. Vivek Ramaswamy, who likes to present himself as “Trump 2.0”, also does not qualify for his party’s debates. After a brief rise to third place in the polls, he found himself back in fourth place.

Donald Trump pulled out of the debate – believing he had too much of a lead and had nothing to gain, exposing himself to a possible barrage of criticism – and chose instead to host a campaign event broadcast by the conservative Fox News Channel. The former president may be taking solace in a new poll (Suffolk University/USA TODAY) that shows 51% of Republican voters did not plan to watch the debate between the other two Republican candidates.

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis tried to stand out during CNN’s televised faceoff Wednesday night, less than a week before the primary begins. A good result on Monday in the small, high-stakes state of Iowa will serve as a springboard for them in hopes of catching Donald Trump and beating the odds.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis once posed a serious threat to the former American president, but was never able to prove himself. For Nikki Haley, a strong showing in Iowa would be the perfect springboard to the next election on Jan. 23 in New Hampshire, where independents will be able to cast their ballots in the Republican primary. The latter may favor him more than Trump, potentially tightening the race.