Republican Presidential Candidate Who Dropped Out Turns Down Third Party Run

Last week, former Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey governor Chris Christie was not ruling out jumping back in the 2024 presidential race.

During an interview with former Obama adviser David Axelrod, Christie was asked if he would consider running as a potential No Labels candidate.

Christie responded, “You know, I think the way I would look at it is, I will do whatever I can to try to make sure that the country doesn’t go through what I think will be the misery of a second Trump term,”

According to Wiki, No Labels is a political party that goes by the slogan “Not Left. Not Right. Forward”.

Now however, Christie has now changed his mind and turned down the possibility of running as a third-party candidate.

🚨New: Chris Christie hasn’t ruled out making a No Labels Bid for the White House in 2024.

Christie said, “I will do whatever I can to try to make sure that the country doesn’t go through the misery of a second Trump term.” pic.twitter.com/YAMvIqvYlE

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 21, 2024

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has decided against running as the No Labels candidate for president after spending time and money gaming out the prospects of a centrist third-party bid against President Biden and former president Donald Trump. https://t.co/7V759SIVLo

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 27, 2024

The Hill had more on the story:

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is not ruling out running on a potential No Labels ticket in the 2024 presidential election.

The former GOP presidential candidate, who dropped his White House bid in January, seemingly left the door open to a third-party run during an interview released Thursday with former Obama adviser David Axelrod on his “The Axe Files” podcast.

Axelrod noted that Christie has come up as a potential No Labels candidate and asked, “is that something that you are considering?”

“You know, I think the way I would look at it is, I will do whatever I can to try to make sure that the country doesn’t go through what I think will be the misery of a second Trump term,” Christie said.

Christie, who ran as a vocal critic of former President Trump on the campaign trail, said there are obstacles he would need to cross before considering a third-party run.

Before jumping into the primaries @GovChristie said that efforts by @NoLabelsOrg to mount a third party campaign was a “fool’s errand.” But now that R voters have clearly spoken he says he will “consider” being the fool that runs that errand. Go figure.https://t.co/W6gxRpBJ99

— Doug Jones (@DougJones) March 21, 2024

Per Axios:

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has declined to run for president with the centrist political group No Labels, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Christie is the latest high-profile lawmaker to turn down running with the group, as it continues to press on with plans to put forward a “unity ticket” in November.

“While I believe this is a conversation that needs to be had with the American people, I also believe that if there is not a pathway to win and if my candidacy in any way, shape or form would help Donald Trump become president again, then it is not the way forward,” Christie said.

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The big picture: Christie as recently as last week did not rule out running with No Labels, which has sparked concern from the two major parties that the third-party ticket could spoil the election.

“I appreciate the encouragement I’ve gotten to pursue a third party candidacy,” Christie said.
“I believe we need a country that once again feels like everyone has a stake in what we’re doing and leadership that strives to bring people together, instead of using anger to divide us.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has declined to run for president with the centrist political group No Labels, a spokesperson confirmed today. https://t.co/P6GQc6nAlX

— Axios (@axios) March 27, 2024