Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told NBC yesterday that he has no intentions of running for Senate in 2024 against indicted Senator Bob Menendez, and that he’ll continue with his longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination instead.
“No, I have no interest in being in the United States Senate,” he said.
Christie, who served as governor from 2010 until 2018, added that he was given a smooth potential path to the Senate in 2013 and didn’t take it.
“I had a chance to appoint myself to the United States Senate in 2013, when Frank Lautenberg passed away and I was governor,” Christie said. “If I didn’t appoint myself to the United States Senate – the easiest way to get there – I sure as heck am not going to run for it.”
Christie would have certainly shaken up the GOP field for Senate had he decided to run, but no one believed that he would actually go for it. The frontrunner for the nomination at the moment is Mendham Borough Mayor Christine Serrano Glassner; other potential candidates, among them Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-Dennis), are also publicly considering campaigns.
Most attention, though, will be focused on the Democratic side of the aisle, where Menendez is attempting to fend off widespread calls for his resignation. One top-tier challenger, Rep. Andy Kim (D-Moorestown), has already emerged, and a number of other candidates are looking at the race as well.