Chris Christie files paperwork for presidential run.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Launches 2024 Presidential Campaign

(Reuters)—Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie on Tuesday formally launched his 2024 presidential campaign, joining a growing Republican field led by former president Donald Trump.

Christie, who served as an adviser to Trump’s successful 2016 campaign but has since become a vocal critic over his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, filed paperwork declaring his candidacy. He is scheduled to announce his White House bid later on Tuesday at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Christie’s Unique Selling Point

A former federal prosecutor, Christie, 60, has argued he is the only potential rival with the skills and willingness to attack Trump directly.

Christie has not fared well in public opinion polling thus far, however. He netted just 1 percent support from potential Republican primary voters in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in May, compared to Trump’s 49 percent support and Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s 19 percent support.

Other Republican Contenders

Other Republicans seeking to challenge President Joe Biden include former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and U.S. senator Tim Scott. Former vice president Mike Pence is set to enter the race on Wednesday.

Christie’s Past Presidential Bid and Bridgegate Scandal

Christie ran for president in 2016 but ended his bid after a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primary and became the first major party figure to throw his support behind Trump.

He first emerged as a national figure on the strength of his two terms from 2009 to 2017 as governor of Democratic-leaning New Jersey, where his confrontational approach to politics earned him plaudits from admirers and accusations of bullying from detractors. His tenure was tarnished by the so-called “Bridgegate” scandal, in which two allies deliberately shut down lanes at the heavily trafficked George Washington Bridge between New Jersey and New York City to punish a local mayor for failing to endorse Christie’s reelection. Christie has said he was unaware of the plot at the time, but witnesses at a criminal trial for the two allies testified that the governor knew about the lane closures.

Christie’s Role in the 2024 Presidential Race

That strategy may entice Republican voters who are ready to move past Trump, but it remains unclear whether any Republican can prevail without the support of Trump’s still-loyal base. As an underdog, Christie could end up playing the role of spoiler, a position he found himself occupying in 2016, when his dissection of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio at a debate days before Christie dropped out of the race blunted Rubio’s momentum.

(Reporting by Joseph AxEditing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)