Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is launching a seven-figure ad campaign defending his decision to stay in the presidential race, rejecting calls to drop out due to his low polling numbers.

The ad campaign will debut in New Hampshire on Thursday, according to CNN, which will feature Christie directly responding to calls for him to drop out of the GOP primary and narrow the already crowded field. The seven-figure investment underscores Christie’s efforts to pour resources into the New Hampshire primary next month as his last-ditch effort to gain momentum among GOP voters.

[If he has the money, why not? This isn’t Asa Hutchinson trying desperately to remain relevant; Christie qualified for all the debates on the basis of fundraising and polling. The time for Christie to withdraw would have been in the summer as part of an effort to unite behind a Trump competitor with a real chance of beating him. This sounds as though Christie will decide whether to withdraw based on results in New Hampshire, and that’s his best possible turf in the early primary states anyway. Maybe Haley’s gaffe on the Civil War will provide Christie an opening. But I somehow doubt that helped anyone other than Trump. — Ed]