Chris Christie will reportedly be entering the 2024 presidential race soon.
The Republican former New Jersey governor will make an announcement in a matter of days, and focus on the key primary state of New Hampshire, according to New Hampshire Today, citing multiple anonymous sources with knowledge of the campaign.
The campaign will reportedly be backed by billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
Mr Christie, a former Trump ally turned vocal critic, has not yet publicly announced a campaign.
Mr Cohen, who spent millions supporting pro-Christie groups during the 2016 election, has declined to comment on his potential support of the former New Jersey leader going forward.
The former governor has spoken openly about considering a run.
He told Semafor in April he was considering entering the crowded GOP field, and wouldn’t enter the race if he “couldn’t win."
"If I get into the race, I’ll make it interesting," he said, telling the publication he wouldn’t be a “wallflower” and would directly criticise Donald Trump.
Former Trump official Anthony Scaramucci has said he will back a Christie run.
During an April visit to New Hampshire, Mr Christie went at the former president.
“Donald Trump is a TV star, nothing more, nothing less,” he said. “Let me suggest to you that in putting him back in the White House, the reruns will be worse than the original show.”
A poll released this month shows that among New Jersey voters, the vast majority of Republicans prefer Donald Trump, regardless of who else is running, though mentioning the former president’s legal troubles gave Mr Christie a modest bump.
Mr Trump remains the dominant Republican candidate, with more than twice the support of his nearest rival Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, according to an analysis from FiveThirtyEight.
