Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) have “ZERO chance” in the 2024 Republican primary race, former President Donald Trump declared over the weekend amid rumors of the GOP primary field growing.
“It will be a race to see who will be the first to get to 1% in the Republican Primary,” Trump began.
“Sloppy Chris Christie, who had a 9% approval rating when he was Governor of New Jersey, or the little known (for a reason!) Governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, who is 30 points down to me in his own State, and never lifts a finger to help anybody but himself,” he said, concluding that both of the potential challengers are “wasting their time and money, they have ZERO chance!”
Trump’s remark comes days after reports detailing that the former Trump ally-turned-critic Chris Christie will formally announce his presidential bid in New Hampshire this week.
If true, Christie’s announcement will come less than a month after the release of a Fairleigh Dickinson University survey showing 70 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners in the Garden State support Trump. Conversely, 69 percent said they would not consider supporting Christie.
RELATED: Chris Christie on Trump: ‘His Grip on the Party Is Diminishing’
However, Sununu announced on Monday that he is officially refraining from jumping into the presidential race. He told CNN’s Inside Politics:
We’ve taken the last six months to really look at things, where everything is, and I’ve made the decision not to run for president on the Republican ticket in 2024. Obviously, a lot goes into that decision. It’s been quite an adventure, but not the end of the adventure by any means.
When pressed further on why he decided to stay out of the race, Sununu noted that the field is large and observed that Trump is “doing much better in the polls than folks thought.”
“I want more young Republicans. I’m tired of losing races. I’m tired of losing U.S. Senate races and governor races. And I think more folks in the Republican Party have to have that voice in making sure this is about the Republican Party, not just about the former president,” he added:
WATCH — NH Gov. Sununu: I Will Not Run for President in 2024
Mere weeks ago, Sununu stated there was a “61 percent” chance he would run for president.
Last week, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced criteria for the first GOP presidential debate taking place August 23, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are strict polling requirements, as a candidate must 1) poll at least one percent in three national polls or 2) poll at one percent in two national polls, in addition to garnering one percent support in an early state survey that meets the RNC’s requirements.