Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie expressed his determination to stay in the race no matter the results of the New Hampshire primary.
Christie appeared on State of the Union on Sunday, where host Dana Bash pointed out that opponent Donald Trump is still in the lead in New Hampshire by about 40 points, per a CNN poll. Bash went on to suggest that Christie join Nikki Haley on the same ticket, as together they would be polling around 30 points.
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“This idea of people just doing math and adding up numbers, that’s not the way voters vote,” Christie retorted. “I would say to everybody out there, let’s let the campaign move forward.”
New Hampshire’s primary is among the first across the nation on Jan. 23. When Bash asked if Christie plans to continue his campaign after the primary, his response was “absolutely.”
“I expect to be in this race through to the convention, Dana,” Christie said. In his opinion, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are the next to drop, as four candidates have dropped out already.
“This is the smallest Republican field at this stage in this century that did not include an incumbent. The smallest,” Christie said. “It was 13 [candidates] eight years ago at this stage. I was in that race. Before that, in 2011, there were eight people in the race at this stage. In 2007, there were nine. This race has consolidated nicely. You are now, in my view, have four major contenders, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, me, and Nikki Haley. ”
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Christie claims he has qualified for the fourth GOP debate.
Recently, DeSantis and Trump have increased efforts against Haley. The Florida governor announced a new microsite off of his campaign website designed to be “shining a light on the real Nikki Haley” last week. Trump appeared at a University of South Carolina game Saturday, appearing to be a slight to Haley, who graduated there and, according to polling, is in a solid second place in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina.
