Chris Christie isn’t worried about national polls because the U.S. has ‘doesn’t have a national primary’ as he said his focus is on performing state-by-state.
The former New Jersey governor is polling at the back of the Republican primary pack – but boasted of his 6 percent showing in first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa despite having ‘not spent one hour in Iowa since the beginning of this campaign.’
Christie sarcastically quipped at Fox News host Sandra Smith that he should ‘just drop out’ of the race because of RealClearPolitics national polling putting him at 2.4 percent.
Repeatedly, Christie pointed to surveys in New Hampshire, which is the early primary state where the 2024 hopeful is putting all of his weight for the January 23 elections.
‘I don’t care where I am in national polling,’ Christie shot-back at Smith when she asked how he thinks he is really performing nationally versus the polling.
‘It doesn’t matter, we don’t have a national primary, Sandra,’ he continued, clearly frustrated by the narrative. ‘If we had a national primary I would be in desperate, horrible straits – but we don’t. We have primaries state by state.’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he isn’t worried about national polls because the primary election is state-by-state as he dismissed his dismal showing in national surveys
A RealClearPolitics national average shows Christie in fifth place with 2.4% now that Sen. Tim Scott has suspended his presidential campaign
Looking at the RealClearPolitical national average of polls, Christie is in fifth place – bumped up a level because Sen. Tim Scott suspended his campaign over the weekend.
Christie, however, jumps to a tie for third place with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – both with 8.3 percent – in a separate RealClearPolitics average for New Hampshire polls.
‘What do you do now, what is your strategy?’ Smith asked Christie in regards to his poor national showing.
‘Geez, I guess from that I should drop out,’ the candidate sarcastically replied.
‘RealClearPolitics average is not worth anything,’ he clarified. ‘We don’t have a national primary. And if you look at what’s going on in New Hampshire, I’m in double digits. As is Ambassador Haley. And Donald Trump is well below 50 percent in those places.’
But Christie lamented that the ‘real problem’ is that if other candidates besides him don’t start going after former President Trump, the entire primary race is for naught because it will truly be a race for second place.
‘The fact is – here’s the problem, Sandra, this is all a play for second place if you don’t go after Donald Trump,’ he said on Fox during a Wednesday interview.
‘And Nikki Haley said the other night ‘he’s the right president for the right time.’ Well, I don’t know that somebody who got indicted four times based on conflict in office turned out to be the right president for the right time,’ the former Trump ally said.
‘And you know, I look at the way they cuddle up to Donald Trump – well, good, if you are content with second place then don’t take on the front-runner. I’ve been taking on the front-runner from the beginning because I want to win the race.’
A New Hampshire poll shows Christie in third place in the early primary state with 9% support
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox news that she’s ‘really sick of this in-fighting’ between Republican candidates.
But Christie says it’s necessary for the process.
‘It’s called a primary,’ he said when asked if he’s worried in-fighting will ultimately damage the GOP. ‘And so, that’s the way it goes.’
‘We are going to be critical of each other and we should be. But, what unites us is much greater than what divides us,’ Christie continued. ‘And if we get an appropriate nominee for president, I’m sure you will see them unite to defeat Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.’
‘But let’s face it, we did not have any primary in 2020 because we had an incumbent president but there was still plenty of infighting going on, on Capitol Hill and many other places. So that’s part of politics,’ he explained.
‘I don’t mind arguing with folks, as long as we are arguing towards an end that will be productive for the party and for the country.’
The first primary contest is in Iowa on January 15 where voters will caucus for their preferred candidates.
Christie isn’t expected to perform well as, he admitted, has not stepped foot in Iowa during the 2024 primary campaign.