Republican candidate Donald Trump on Friday won the endorsement on Friday of New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who said the billionaire businessman had the best chance of beating Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the November 8th presidential election.
"The best person to beat Hillary Clinton in November on that stage last night is undoubtedly Donald Trump," Mr Christie told a news conference a day after a Republican candidates' debate. He spoke at a news conference before a Trump rally in Texas.
Mr Trump is "rewriting the playbook," said Mr Christie (53) who until earlier this month was a rival for the Republican Party nomination.
It was Mr Trump’s biggest endorsement from a mainstream Republican to date. The frontrunner in the race Mr Trump (69) has never held public office and has campaigned as a political outsider.
The endorsement of the New Jersey governor gives Mr Trump, from neighbouring New York, a lift ahead of next week’s crucial Super Tuesday nominating contests.
Mr Trump, a brash former reality TV show host, has now won three straight nominating contests in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, convincing some mainstream Republicans that he may have too much momentum to be stopped, especially if he wins big in the key southern US primaries on Tuesday.
Former secretary of state Ms Clinton is battling US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for the Democratic nomination.
Reuters