There was some election news out of New Hampshire today as Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and periodic candidate in the Republican Presidential primary, announced that he was withdrawing from the race. Christie never seemed like a candidate who was likely to win the primary to... almost any observer, but that doesn't mean that his withdrawal won't have consequences; in New Hampshire, where former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has been trailing former President Donald Trump by only 7% at 39%-32%, Chris Christie had been polling at 12% which would be plenty enough to push Haley over the top should the majority of Christie's voters break for her instead of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who sits at 5% in The Granite State.
But before the Haley campaign starts popping the champaign corks in celebration they may want to take a moment to listen to some leaked audio that came out from the New Hampshire townhall where Christie made his announcement because... hoo boy.
BREAKING: While waiting for Chris Christie announcement, he can be heard on a hot mic criticizing @NikkiHaley while talking to someone.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 10, 2024
“She’s gonna get smoked,” he says. “You and I both know it, she’s not up to this.”
He also claims DeSantis called him, then feed is cut. pic.twitter.com/3Lrz2t6BQ8
Yeah, that can't be good. It's been believed that Haley was hoping for an endorsement from Christie should he drop out (because why wouldn't she?), but it's hard to see how Chris Christie would be able to make that endorsement with a straight face after this audio leak. He's a man known largely for not mincing words and in this case he does not mince words indeed.
I guess that is not the endorsement Nikki Haley was hoping for.
— Jeff Wright (@1991Wolfpack) January 10, 2024
First rule for being around a mic: assume it’s always hot
— Aubrey Strobel (@aubreystrobel) January 10, 2024
Smoked Nikki,..
— Denny Green (@DennyGr28530407) January 10, 2024
Always got food on his mind….😂
At the end of the recording (immediately before some staffer presumably noticed what was happening and cut the feed) Christie can be heard talking about a telephone conversation he'd had with Ron DeSantis, and inquiring minds would really like to know what that was all about!
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Feed cut just as it was about to get juicy.
— Bojac (@HeartlessBojac) January 10, 2024
I wonder what DeSantis said to him.
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) January 10, 2024
Brutal for the Haley campaign. He is going to endorse DeSantis.
— Burt Macklin (@BurtMaclin_FBI) January 10, 2024
It's hard to see how he doesn't now that his true feeling about Nikki Haley as a candidate are out there. He could say he's 'sitting it out and letting the voters decide' but that would be pretty weak after this, right? For better or for worse he seems likely to be 'in for a penny, in for a pound' now.
OOOOOOOOOOOPS https://t.co/ru3PjtcIr3
— Jon 🔬 (@JonnyMicro) January 10, 2024
Gonna be real awkward if he endorses her 👀 https://t.co/zL7oE19TLQ
— brit (@pashedmotatos) January 10, 2024
The Christie hot mic moment has me wondering who he endorses. Obviously he’s not impressed by Haley but the fact that he noted that RDS called him in a “petrified” tone (apparently?) indicates he’s not too impressed by Ron either.
— Poster Tubs (@PosterTubs) January 10, 2024
Me thinks he stays out of endorsing anyone. https://t.co/VuMkF4eAXU
A strong possibility, but at this point as we said it would certainly be an awkward decision.
Despite this flub you can bet that both the DeSantis and Haley camps will be rolling out the red carpet for Chris Christie to beg for his endorsement. With all indications pointing to Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee to face Joe Biden in November every vote counts if either candidate wants to have any chance of shooting the rapids and actually defeating the Goliath that is Donald Trump at this point. But boy oh boy will it be awkward when Nikki Haley comes a-courting to Chris Christie; we'd love to be flies on the wall for that conversation.
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