Chris Christie enjoyed a surge in support Friday as a second straight New Hampshire poll showed him gaining ground with voters after he announced his 2024 presidential campaign by fiercely attacking former President Donald Trump.
Christie scored 9% support in the poll of the first-in-the-nation Republican primary state — within striking distance of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who drew just 13% and has slumped in recent polls.
The former New Jersey governor has apparently grabbed support from DeSantis as well as from some Granite State voters who planned to back favorite son Gov. Chris Sununu, who has decided not to run.
Christie credits his rising support to his willingness to openly criticize Trump, while other candidates have either kept quiet or openly backed the former president.
“Americans are looking for a leader who actually tells the truth and doesn’t tiptoe around the issues,” Christie tweeted.
The new New Hampshire Journal poll shows Trump with 47% support, far ahead of DeSantis, Christie and others like ex-Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.
A separate New Hampshire poll also showed Christie trending upward with 7%, and also had DeSantis dropping.
Trump still holds a dominant lead over all rivals in the crowded national race. In fact, polls of New Hampshire and the first caucus state of Iowa show him expanding his lead over his nearest rival as DeSantis stumbles.
It would be a major shift if Christie, or any of the other lesser candidates, can bounce DeSantis out of the No. 2 spot behind Trump.
Christie still faces daunting odds of actually mounting a serious primary challenge to Trump. The same poll that showed him attracting significant support revealed that nearly half of all GOP voters would definitely not even consider voting for him.
Just 25% say they would not consider voting for Trump, even though he has just become the first former president to ever be charged with federal crimes after being indicted in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
Christie says Trump’s conduct is “indefensible” and calls him a “failed leader” who has led the GOP to defeats in three straight national elections.
