It is primary day in New Jersey, but all eyes are on New Hampshire tonight.

That's where former Governor Chris Christie is launching his campaign for president.

He filed the paperwork this afternoon and joins an already crowded Republican primary field.

This is Christie's second bid for the White House.

His 2016 presidential run was short lived, having lost to former President Donald Trump before becoming his close on again off again adviser.

Now he's branding himself as the guy to torpedo his former ally, casting himself as the only candidate not afraid to throw a political punch at the GOP frontrunner.

But Christie's staunchest supporters admit he faces an uphill battle in a party that's deeply loyal to Trump.

Our senior political correspondent David Cruz is in Manchester, New Hampshire, outside Saint Anselm College, where Christie is making the announcement and joins me now David, good to see you.

Glad that you guys made it there okay.

So, you know, aside from making for a combative primary, what is Christie's strategy here?

Well, Brianna, you know, all polling evidence to the contrary.

Chris Christie believes that he has the lane he said before when we talked to him about running for governor, running for president.

He said there were three things that he wanted to make sure of.

One that his family was okay with it, too, that there was a path to victory.

And three, that his skills and talents would have an impact on the race.

And I think it's that last thing that I mentioned that is really most significant here.

Their strategy is punch Trump in the face at a debate and then get him again and punch him in the face again.

And so he really thinks that, you know, because if you remember back in 2016, Chris Christie was supposed to be the straight talker telling it like this guy until Trump came in and took that lane and added some vulgarities and suddenly shot to the presidency.

So Chris Christie thinks the landscape is a little bit different and that his punches will be he'll be able to land more effectively with Trump perhaps weakened a little bit.

Yeah I mean we should note that he kept that same campaign slogan this go around, tell it like it is.

But you know, he is a talk tough talking Jersey guy.

So I'm wondering why he's launching the campaign in New Hampshire as opposed to here at home.

Yeah.

Last time he he did it a lot closer to home.

I think the bottom line is that New Hampshire, New Hampshire, New Hampshire is the strategy in terms of where he's going to pitch a tent in 2016.

He was here very frequently.

But again, he had a day job still at that time.

So he'd have to go back and forth to New Jersey because he was still functioning as governor.

But now there is no such encumbrance.

And he's going to be here pretty much every day until election day.

And so New Hampshire is where he's going to do it as much as he did in 20, 16, you know, in 2016.

It was all about New Hampshire.

He came in sixth, I think, and that was not good.

I think they believe that with the weakened Trump and a kind of smallish field of other candidates, that they'll be able to come in second or third in New Hampshire.

And if that were to happen, that would really change the landscape.

It would it would be a game changer for sure.

Okay.

So why is he holding this as a town hall style event?

We've seen other candidates announce on Twitter and, you know, big, splashy events at town hall seems a little boring.

Yeah.

Well, if you saw the census is a disastrous launch.

It may have given Chris Christie some pause.

I think this is where Christie does his best work.

He knows I mean, he did 100,000 town halls when he was governor, and he's really perfected the art.

And of all the people in this race, he probably is the best at that.

And the crowds here really love Chris Christie.

I mean, they may not end up voting for him, but when they come to these town halls, he really rocks the House and gets a great reception.

Now, what he needs to do this time around is to turn that warm reception at these town hall events into some votes.

Yeah, no doubt about that.

Senior political correspondent David Cruz for us in New Hampshire.

David, thanks so much.

Yep.

See you soon.