Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey who pursued a taunting but futile effort to pry Republican voters free from Donald J. Trump’s grip, bowed on Wednesday to mounting pressure from within his party and suspended his presidential campaign.
“It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination, which is why I’m suspending my campaign tonight for president of the United States,” Mr. Christie said at an event in Windham, N.H.
His departure was overshadowed briefly when he was caught on a hot microphone candidly discussing two rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, before making the announcement.
“She’s going to get smoked, and you and I both know it,” Mr. Christie could be heard saying of Ms. Haley. “She’s not up to this.” He added of Mr. DeSantis: “DeSantis called me, petrified.”
Mr. Christie’s exit effectively ends a phase of the Republican presidential contest, removing from the field its most aggressive Trump opponent and the only prominent contender who had argued that Mr. Trump was unfit for office — a contention that all but doomed his candidacy from the start.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.