Chris Christie Picks Up Support From Republican Donors, One Billionaire Is Still On The Sidelines

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is gaining support from millionaire donors for his 2024 presidential campaign.

What Happened: Christie, a former Donald Trump ally, announced his official campaign for the 2024 election in early June, putting him in direct competition with the former president.

Since then, wealthy Republican Wall Street donors have helped finance his campaign, according to CNBC.

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“I wouldn’t have gotten into the race unless I had some very significant people,” Christie said during an appearance on “Squawk Box.” “I think what you’re going to find a lot of people who were with Donald Trump before are now with us. Some folks who were other candidates in 2016, like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are now with us.”

A spokesperson for a Christie political action committee (PAC) told CNBC that recent funding support has been “overwhelming.”

“In the two weeks since Gov. Christie announced his candidacy, the support for 'Tell It Like It Is' has been overwhelming. We’ll have more to say about our financial support in due time,” Colin Reed said.

Christie's donors reportedly include:

• Motorola Solutions CEO Greg Brown
• RXR Realty CEO Scott Rechler
• Bobbie Kilberg, who was an advisor to past presidents like Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

“My husband Bill and I are both supporting Chris Christie, have already been raising funds for him and will continue to do so,” Kilberg said. “Our first focus is to help recruit 40,000 individual donors at any dollar amount in order to secure Chris a spot on the RNC debate stage.”

Hedge fund billionaire and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is an ally of Christie, but has yet to publicly support him.

Cohen donated $5 million to a PAC supporting Christie during the 2016 election.

Christie serves on the Mets board of directors and has been close to Cohen for years.

A source said that Cohen will not offer immediate financial help for Christie or another GOP candidate at the current time, but this could change.

Former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci previously said he expected Cohen to back Christie.

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Why It’s Important: The Republican race has gotten more crowded, but Trump is still leading in preliminary GOP polls despite his legal problems. Since being indicted, the former president is believed to have raised more than $6 million.

Christie, now one of Trump's most vocal opponents, could gain support and donations from those who have soured on Trump.

As Kilberg alluded to, candidates have to get donations from 40,000 contributors to be featured in the first GOP primary debate in August. Candidates also have to have 1% of support in three national polls or a combination of 1% in two national polls and a state poll.

A recent CNN poll shows Christie with 3% of support. A Morning Consult poll sees Christie getting 2% of the vote from Republicans.

While he has gained in polls, the betting odds for Christie have not shown a chance to win the presidency. Bet365 currently lists Christie with odds of +8,000 to become the next president.

Christie previously ran for president in the 2016 election, receiving only 7.4% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary.

Christie later dropped out and turned his support to Trump.

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