Christie to announce 2024 bid next Tuesday in New Hampshire

By Omar Jimenez and Kit Maher, CNN

(CNN) — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie plans to announce his candidacy in the 2024 race on Tuesday, according to three sources familiar with his plans.

Christie, who also ran in 2016 and has been outspoken against Republican front-runner Donald Trump, will make the announcement at a town hall at Saint Anselm College.

Axios was first to report Christie’s announcement date.

News of Christie’s announcement comes after his allies recently formed a super PAC to support his expected GOP presidential bid.

The group, Tell It Like It Is, also launched a website to boost the former New Jersey governor’s candidacy and said his presence on the GOP debate stage would “ensure our party engages in the robust, direct, truth-telling conversation we need to start winning again.”

The website lists Republican National Committee member Bill Palatucci, former US Sen. Jeff Chiesa and former US Rep. Susan Brooks as members of the group’s leadership team.

According to a source tied to the new super PAC, Christie’s expected campaign is likely to include people he has worked with before, including Mike DuHaime, who served as a top political strategist to the former governor, and Maria Comella, Christie’s chief messaging officer during his previous presidential bid.

When he ran in 2016, Christie announced his candidacy on June 30, 2015, before supporters in Livingston, New Jersey.

Christie reportedly sees himself as the only serious Republican candidate willing to take on Trump and as someone who can appeal to enough independents to beat President Joe Biden in the general election.

Christie is one of several high-profile figures considering a bid for the Republican nomination. Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and talk radio host Larry Elder have officially announced their candidacies.

While Christie called a potential presidential run a “huge risk” at an event hosted by Semafor in Washington last month, he said, “If it turns out that I’m on a debate stage in August of this year and Donald Trump decides to be on it, you can be sure that we’ll have some exchanges that I hope will be illuminating to the public about both him and me.”

This story has been updated with additional background information.

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CNN’s Sydney Kashiwagi contributed to this report