Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina dropped their bids for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary.
The New Jersey governor and former Hewlett-Packard CEO respectively came in sixth and seventh in the Granite State Tuesday evening.
“I've said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I'm not going to start now,” Fiorina said in a message to supporters. “While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.”
The Associated Press reported that Christie told his staff he was suspending his campaign during a meeting in New Jersey on Wednesday.
Christie had told supporters in New Hampshire Tuesday night that he would return to New Jersey to "take a deep breath" and reevaluate his candidacy.
The Associated Press has more about Christie:
But Tuesday's result appeared to be the final blow for a candidate whose campaign, at points, saw glimmers of hope, but had trouble from the get-go raising money and building support in a crowded Republican field dominated by another brash East Coaster, businessman Donald Trump.
While Trump has posed a challenge to the entire Republican field, his dominance seemed especially damaging to Christie, who had branded himself the "telling it like it is" candidate.
He'll return home to finish his second term as governor of New Jersey, where he faces a slew of unsolved problems and rock-bottom approval ratings from residents who, polls show, feel he neglected the state to pursue his national ambitions.
Christie's had won praise from two powerful Georgia Republicans. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, was a supporter but did not formally endorse, while Gov. Nathan Deal said he would like one of the governors vying for the GOP nomination to win. (Deal also stopped short of an endorsement.)
Fiorina and Christie's expected departure leave seven candidates still pining for the Republican nomination.
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