WASHINGTON — (CNN) Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie weighed in on Donald Trump’s claim that Ted Cruz stole the Iowa caucuses Thursday.
“I don’t think it ever helps after you lose an election to ask for a do over,” Christie said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
Trump, who placed second in Iowa, on Wednesday accused Cruz, who won, of stealing the election and called for either a new set of caucuses in Iowa or the results to be nullified.
The controversy erupted after CNN reported Monday night that Carson would go home to Florida following the Iowa caucuses instead of flying directly to the early voting states New Hampshire and South Carolina. The network added that he planned to stay in the race.
Some Cruz allies shared that news widely on the night of the caucuses, including to Carson supporters, but did not include the part about Carson remaining in the race.
That has irked Carson and his team, who has said the decision by the Cruz team to share only part of the CNN report was a dirty political maneuver.
Trump latched onto it as a reason to invalidate Cruz’s victory over him in Iowa.
But Christie said he would not have accused Cruz of stealing the Iowa caucuses, and that he now has his sights set on New Hampshire.
The New Jersey governor brushed off the significance of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s third place finish in Iowa, citing what he called the senator’s lack of political experience.
“The guy has sat in the Senate for five years, and does not have one major accomplishment. His only effort was for an amnesty bill,” Christie said.
Despite coming in the bottom of the field in Iowa, Christie said he’s confident he will be the candidate taking on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the fall.
“Believe me, she’s going to look back at her fight with Bernie Sanders as the good old days,” he said.
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