Chris Christie Has ‘No Regrets’ for Telling It Like It Is
And then there were just six. The Republican presidential field narrowed twice on Wednesday evening with the departure of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Following a sixth-place finish in Tuesday’s New Hampshire Primary, Christie announced that evening he would not continue on to South Carolina. After contemplating his place in the race, he announced his decision in a press release, and with a statement on social media.
“I ran for president with the message that the government needs to once again work for the people, not the people work for the government,” he said. “And while running for president, I tried to reinforce what I have always believed—that speaking your mind matters, that experience matters, that competence matters and that it will always matter in leading our nation.”
Christie noted that while his message was heard and supported by “a lot of people,” there just wasn’t enough support to continue. He then repeated a statement he made Tuesday evening during his concession speech before officially announcing his campaign’s suspension.
“I have both won elections that I was supposed to lose and I’ve lost elections I was supposed to win and what that means is you never know what will happen,” he said. “That is both the magic and the mystery of politics—you never quite know when which is going to happen, even when you think you do. And so today, I leave the race without an ounce of regret.”
Christie said he was “so proud” of the campaign he ran. He also thanked those who worked and volunteered on its behalf. He said he and his wife, Mary Pat, were thankful for the “extraordinary display of loyalty, friendship, understanding and love.”
Like Fiorina, Christie did not immediately endorse another candidate for the GOP nomination. Some have speculated he might wait until after South Carolina’s Republican Primary on Feb. 20 before doing so.
