Christie declines to rule out No Labels bid

Former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday suggested he was open to a presidential bid under the No Labels banner.

No Labels is a centrist organization that has openly explored mounting a third-party campaign. Despite not presently having a candidate, the group remains interested in a presidential effort.

During an appearance on "The Axe Files" podcast, Christie indicated he was open to the prospect of running on the organization's ticket.

"I wouldn’t preclude anything at this point. I would just say that there are a number of hurdles to get over before I would actually consider running as a third-party," he told former Obama advisor David Axelrod, The Hill reported.

"I think the way I would look at it is, I will do whatever I can to try to make sure that the country doesn’t go through what I think will be the misery of a second Trump term," he also said. 

Christie previously mounted a Republican primary challenge to former President Donald Trump, but failed to win any nominating contests. Most of his campaign saw him assert that Trump was not fit to return to office. He suspended his campaign in January ahead of the New Hampshire primary contest.

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin previously declined to run under the No Labels banner while former No Labels Chairman Larry Hogan has announced a Republican Senate bid.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.