Chris Christie Says He Had 'No Pathway to Victory'

— -- In a call with donors and supporters the day after dropping out of the presidential race, Chris Christie said he saw "no pathway to victory" after he failed to qualify for the next debate this Saturday in South Carolina.

"I wasn't going to be on the stage for the debate, and if I wasn't going to be on the debate, we just didn't see a pathway to victory," the New Jersey governor said.

"As much as we wanted to stay in the race, and continue to articulate our message, we just didn't feel comfortable getting on the phone and asking any of the rest of you to donate money yourselves and get your friends and colleagues to donate as well," he continued.

Christie said the decision to drop out was a "painful one and a difficult one" and that he continues to believe that "we're the best one to take on Hillary Clinton."

He offered this assessment about Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, where he finished sixth with 7 percent of the vote: "At the end of the day, we had some people who decided to go really negative toward me, towards us, and it cost us up in New Hampshire."

Christie said he is not on the cusp of endorsing any other candidate in the 2016 race but that just about everyone except for Ted Cruz has reached out asking for his support.

"I don't need to be endorsing anyone right now and I won't be," he said. He told the group that his campaign had "more of an influence on this race than any candidate except for Donald Trump."

"I have no regrets today, none at all," he added. "The only regret I have is that I wish I'd delivered a better result for all of you."