GOP field:
Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina drop presidential bids.
NASHUA, N. H. — Iowa was the end of the line for four candidates and New Hampshire has claimed two more.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former tech executive Carly Fiorina, both of whom had dismal showings in New Hampshire, said Wednesday that they were ending their campaigns.
Christie had 7 percent of the vote in New Hampshire. The former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard won just 4 percent.
Christie had been banking on a strong finish in New Hampshire and spent more than 70 days campaigning in the state, holding well- received town halls and meet- andgreets.
But Tuesday’s result appeared to be the final blow for a candidate whose campaign saw glimmers of hope at times, 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 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.
But with a field filled with numerous other options, including current and former governors and senators, Christie never consolidated support, despite being praised by both fans and rivals as one of the Republican Party’s best communicators.
Christie may have missed a better chance at the White House four year ago, when some of his party’s most powerful statesmen and donors begged him to run in 2012. But Christie declined, saying that he didn’t feel like he was ready.
The White House bid by Fiorina was always considered a long shot. She has never held elected office, and the only other time she ran — for U. S. Sen. Barbara Boxer’s California seat — she lost by 10 points.
Fiorina, 61, promoted herself as an outsider with business experience and argued that as the lone woman in the GOP field she was best positioned to oppose likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. After a standout performance in the first undercard debate, Fiorina rose to the mainstage and soared in the polls in the fall. But her momentum quickly stalled and by the end of the year she had dropped back down.
Fiorina won applause from women on both sides of the aisle in the second Republican debate in September when she was asked to respond to Donald Trump’s comments criticizing her face.
“I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said,” Fiorina said calmly. Trump sought to smooth things over, saying “I think she’s got a beautiful face and I think she’s a beautiful woman.”
But she was also dogged by questions about her record at Hewlett- Packard, where she was hired as CEO in 1999. She was fired six years later, after leading a major merger with Compaq and laying off 30,000 workers.
Other Republicans who have left the race include South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.