The former New Jersey governor says a third White House campaign remains on the table, with the 2026 midterm elections likely to shape whether he takes another shot at the Republican nomination.

NEW HAMPSHIRE — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is openly weighing another run for president in 2028, telling an audience in New Hampshire this week that the desire to seek the White House does not simply disappear after two unsuccessful campaigns.

Christie, 64, made the comments Tuesday while appearing at the Granite State Summit on Responsible Gaming at Southern New Hampshire University. The Republican said he is watching what happens in the November midterm elections before deciding whether there is a viable opening for another presidential bid.

“Anybody who comes up here — anybody who comes up here — and has ever run for president and not won and told you they’re not looking at it again is lying,” Christie said during an interview with WMUR.

“Once you go through the thought process of convincing yourself that you can be president, and then the next step that you should be president, that doesn’t leave your brain,” he said.

Christie Says Midterms Could Change Republican Conversation

Christie tied his thinking directly to how Republicans perform in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“If we do a lot of losing six weeks from today, I wonder whether we’re going to say, ‘OK, we need to change this approach,’” Christie said.

His comments stop short of announcing a campaign. Instead, Christie indicated that he wants to see whether the midterms produce a broader debate inside the Republican Party about its direction before deciding whether another presidential campaign makes sense.

Christie told reporters he does not expect serious 2028 decisions immediately after the midterms and suggested he could make his own decision sometime in 2027.

New Hampshire Brings Back Familiar Territory

The location of Christie’s comments was notable.

New Hampshire played a major role in both of his previous presidential campaigns, and Christie acknowledged that returning to the state brought back memories of campaigning there.

“As I was driving around here today for the first time since I left the race in January of ’24, it all came back very familiar to me, and I love the state,” Christie said. “I love the people here.”

“If I decide to run, this will be a place where I will spend a lot of time,” he added.

The former governor was in New Hampshire to deliver the keynote address at the responsible gaming summit rather than for a formal campaign event.

A Third Shot at the White House

A 2028 campaign would be Christie’s third attempt to win the Republican presidential nomination.

He first ran in 2016, ending his campaign after finishing sixth in the New Hampshire Republican primary. Christie later endorsed Donald Trump and became a prominent adviser and ally before eventually breaking with him.

Christie returned to presidential politics in 2023, launching a campaign centered heavily on opposition to Trump’s return to the White House. He withdrew from the 2024 Republican contest in January 2024 before the Iowa caucuses.

The former governor has remained active in national politics since then, including as an ABC News political commentator.

News 12 New Jersey also reported that Christie described another campaign as a genuine possibility rather than something he had ruled out.

Christie Says He Needs a Reason a Third Campaign Would Be Different

Christie has also acknowledged that simply wanting to run again would not be enough.

Any decision, he indicated, would depend on whether he sees a realistic political rationale for another campaign after falling short twice before.

That calculation would involve what Republicans decide after the midterms, whether the party’s internal debate changes and whether Christie believes his brand of Republican politics has a place in the 2028 primary.

For now, Christie is leaving the door open — and doing so in New Hampshire, the state where presidential ambitions traditionally become difficult to conceal.

Follow Shore News Network’s continuing coverage of New Jersey, Politics, Republican Party, Elections and National News.