Christie’s dramatic departure scrambles the DeSantis Haley debate

The stage for the CNN Republican presidential debate at Drake University is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. | Charlie Neibergall/AP By Sam Stein 01/10/2024 08:29 PM EST Link Copied The most consequential moment of Wednesday night’s presidential debate took place hours before it began, involving a candidate who had not even qualified.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement that he was dropping his longshot presidential bid took, what had been, a relatively sleepy launch of the official primary season and turned it into something much less predictable. It also raised the stakes for the showdown between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley that was to come hours later on CNN.

Those two candidates, each vying to be seen by GOP primary voters as the chief alternative to Donald Trump, were no longer competing against each other when they took the stage. They were trying to sell themselves to a swath of Christie supporters, donors and endorsers who had suddenly been left politically homeless in the GOP primary.

At first blush, the pitch would have seemed easier for Haley, who has been embraced by Trump skeptical Republicans that made up Christie’s base and with fresh polls showing her closing in on Trump’s lead in New Hampshire. But soon after news broke that Christie was dropping out of the primary, audio emerged of him on a hot mic, trashing the former U.N.

Ambassador. And then came word that he had been back channeling with DeSantis, with the two dishing on Haley. People familiar with those and other discussions say Christie is not expected to make an endorsement, which made the debate on Wednesday night all the more important. Within minutes, it transformed from one of two main acts that evening — the other Trump’s town hall set to take place on Fox News — into a high profile sales pitch to tens of thousands of up for grab voters.

Highlights of the debate can be found below..