Thread: Chris Christie Drops Out After New Hampshire Primary Results

Chris Christie Drops Out After New Hampshire Primary Results

• Dan Hirschhorn @DanH_TIME

11:37 AM ET

Landon Nordeman for TIME

Chris Christie speaks to attendees during a campaign event on Feb. 7, 2016, in Hampton, NH.

Chris Christie finished with just a little more than 7% of the vote, behind his establishment rivals

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who once looked like a front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination but was hampered from the start of his campaign by a traffic scandal and a sluggish economy at home, will drop out of the race Wednesday. His departure, confirmed by two people close to Christie, followed a disappointing sixth-place finish in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, on which he had staked his White House hopes.

Christie was a favored candidate of Republican leaders in the days following his 2013 winning reelection bid. His success in a blue state, his fundraising prowess as one of the party’s most high-profile governors, and his brash, often unscripted style of politics seemed like a good fit for the party after its defeat at the hands of President Obama in 2012. But that plan was knocked off course even before his campaign started, most famously by the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal—in which emails showed allies of Christie’s had shut down a New Jersey town’s access to the George Washington Bridge as political retaliation. Christie has steadfastly denied any knowledge of the affair and no evidence has emerged otherwise, but he never really recovered from the investigation of his administration.

As his more moderate profile was not well suited to an increasingly conservative Republican electorate that has gravitated to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, he mostly parked his campaign in New Hampshire.

He held dozens of town-hall style meetings in the hope that the Granite State, which has long rewarded retail-style politics, would reward him, too. He enjoyed moments in the spotlight, particularly when his fierce assault against Marco Rubio in last weekend’s Republican debate brought the Florida Senator’s rising campaign back to earth. But as conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer said Tuesday night on Fox News, it was essentially “a Kamikaze attack.” Christie finished with just a little more than 7% of the New Hampshire vote, behind his establishment rivals John Kasich, Jeb Bush and Rubio.

He had planned to travel from New Hampshire to South Carolina to begin campaigning for that state’s primary, but as the results came in Tuesday night, he said he would instead return to New Jersey “to take a deep breath” and reassess his prospects. He would not return to the campaign trail.

http://time.com/4215559/chris-christ...imary-results/

ABC reporters incorrectly tweet Chris Christie drops out
CNN Digital Expansion 2015 Dylan Byers

By Dylan Byers, CNN

Updated 11:28 PM ET, Tue February 9, 2016

(CNN)Three ABC News reporters incorrectly reported that Chris Christie was dropping out of the presidential race on Tuesday night.

Christie, who looks poised to finish sixth in New Hampshire, said he will return to New Jersey to "take a deep breath" and talk with his family. But he did not say he would drop out or suspend his campaign, as ABC News reporters stated.

"Breaking: Chris Christie drops out of the presidential campaign," Kendis Gibson, a national correspondent with ABC News, tweeted.

"Just in: Chris Christie has suspended his presidential campaign," wrote Ryan Struyk, one of the network's political reporters.

"Chris Christie drops out of presidential race after 6th place finish in NH," tweeted Arlette Saenz, an ABC News White House Reporter.

Both Sruyk and Saenz subsequently published corrections. Gibson did not, though he also tweeted a "clarification" that said Christie was going home to see the final New Hampshire results come in.

An ABC News spokesperson said "it was a mistake that was corrected almost immediately (within minutes)."

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/09/politi...out/index.html

Trump pushes back on newspaper attacks, says Christie should stay in race
Published February 10, 2016 FoxNews.com

Donald Trump pushed back on Wednesday at the New York Daily News’ latest attack, telling Fox News the newspaper would be closing soon and that the publisher is “jealous as hell” of him.

On Wednesday, the newspaper touted Trump’s win in Tuesday’s New Hampshire Republican presidential primary as the “Dawn of the Brain Dead.” The cover featured an exaggerated image of Trump as an evil clown.

“Clown comes back to life with N.H. win as mindless zombies turn out in droves,” the paper says in its subtitle, referring to voters in the Granite State.

The billionaire businessman believes the attacks were motivated out of jealousy.

“The owner is a guy named Mort Zuckerman who’s got a total inferiority complex and he’s had [it] for years,” Trump said. “He’s jealous as hell because he would have loved to have done it himself.”

Trump also took the publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader to task for endorsing Republican rival New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for president.

“He is a bad guy,” Trump told Fox News. “He asked me for advertising for his newspaper and he wanted me to make speeches and he wanted me to do his debate which was just before the Fox debate – the one where you drew 24 million people – and I said I could not do it.”

Trump brushed off other reasons the New Hampshire paper endorsed Christie and continued to slam the paper and its management.

“He’s a bad publisher and his paper is going down the tubes.”

As for Christie, Trump said the New Jersey governor called him Tuesday night and the two spoke. He said he has “no idea” if Christie is getting out of the race but that “ultimately, I’d love to see Chris stay in.”

“I think somebody like Jeb Bush has far less talent than Chris and he’s still in,” Trump said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016...y-in-race.html

CBS News
Verified account‏@CBSNews

BREAKING: @ChrisChristie suspends campaign, ending his presidential run http://cbsn.ws/1nYZIJM

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• LIKES94

10:08 AM - 10 Feb 2016

Applaud Christie for exposing Rubio as he did during the last debate. He was on fire that night and did a great job imo.

I wish he would take Trump's advice and stay in at least through the Debate this weekend.

MSNBC is reporting Fiorina is suspending her campaign today. If Christie announces today or tomorrow, then that leaves Trump, Kasich, Bush, Rubio, Cruz and Carson. 6? Did I miss anyone? Oh, Gilmore. I guess he's still in, so that's 7.

Breaking News: Carly Fiorina drops out of Republican presidential race

Chris Christie Formally Suspends Presidential Campaign

• By JOSH MARGOLIN
• JORDYN PHELPS

Feb 10, 2016, 4:58 PM ET


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Mel Evans/AP Photo

WATCH Chris Christie In A Minute

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie formally suspended his presidential campaign today.

The New Jersey governor held a meeting with his campaign staff at 4pm this afternoon to thank them and announce the news, a spokesperson to the campaign confirms to ABC News.

The decision comes a day after the New Jersey governor came in a disappointing 6th place in New Hampshire, despite a heavy investment of time and funds into the first-in-the-nation primary contest.

"We came to new Hampshire to bring the message," Christie told gathered supporters in Nashua, New Hampshire as election results rolled in last night. "The message was heard by a lot of folks. And it was stood for by a lot of folks here in New Hampshire, just not enough."

“We have worked incredibly hard up here, spent so much time and we don't regret one minute," he told the crowd.

Christie launched his bid for the White House last June, encapsulating his straight-talking style with a campaign slogan of "Telling It Like It Is” and focused the majority of his efforts in New Hampshire, where he was hoping for a far better showing.

In 2012, he turned down calls to seek the presidency, saying at the time that he wasn't ready. Following his successful reelection in 2013, Christie was widely considered a front-runner for the Republican nomination this year. But he expended some political capital after the scandal over lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, which he has consistently denied knowing anything about until the scandal erupted.

Christie will return to New Jersey with almost two full years remaining in his second gubernatorial term.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/chris...ry?id=36835186

As for Christie, Trump said the New Jersey governor called him Tuesday night and the two spoke. He said he has “no idea” if Christie is getting out of the race but that “ultimately, I’d love to see Chris stay in.”

“I think somebody like Jeb Bush has far less talent than Chris and he’s still in,” Trump said.

It's odd that Christie would call Trump. I'm not sure what to make of that. Whatever, IMO, it's time for Christie to bow out graciously .... I do wish he was taking Rubio and Bush with him though. That would leave Kasich and Carson as the only two amnesty supporters. IMO, Kasich and Carson are no challenge for Trump and Cruz.