Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina suspend presidential campaigns

New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former business executive Carly Fiorina are ending their campaigns for the 2016 Republican nomination, narrowing the field of rivals facing businessman Donald Trump for the right to compete in the November 8th presidential election.

A senior aide confirmed to Reuters yesterday that Christie would pull out, a day after the combative Republican’s sixth-place finish in the New Hampshire primary raised doubts about his viability as a candidate.

Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard chief executive, said in a Facebook post yesterday that she would suspend her campaign.

The only woman in the Republican field placed seventh in New Hampshire, after failing to make the selection for last Saturday’s debate.

Narrow field

Trump’s remaining opponents, most of them mainstream Republicans, will likely benefit from their departures, which leave seven Republicans from a field that once had 17 candidates.

Christie had poured much of his campaign’s resources into New Hampshire, making at least 195 scheduled stops, more than any other candidate, and had considered a good showing there critical.

However, Christie failed to win over Granite State voters, winning only about 7 per cent of votes on Tuesday. – (Reuters)