Photo

NASHUA, N.H. — Chris Christie on Tuesday morning did not seem like a man who had finished near the back of the pack with 1.8 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses the night before.

“I’m in a peppy mood this morning,” said the New Jersey governor at his first appearance of the day in New Hampshire.

With dim chances for a sizable showing in Iowa, Mr. Christie long ago pinned his hopes on a respectable performance in New Hampshire, where he was already campaigning on Monday afternoon, even before the caucuses in Iowa opened.

Early Tuesday morning, Mr. Christie was on the stump in Nashua, delivering the keynote speech at the Salvation Army’s annual Groundhog Day Breakfast and appearing undeterred by the lackluster finish in Iowa.

“I am pleased to announce that I performed exactly as I expected in Iowa,” Mr. Christie told a questioner who asked his view on Monday night’s results, adding that Iowa was in the “rearview mirror.”

“For me, that’s a joyous announcement,” he said.

A day earlier, Mr. Christie placed 10th in Iowa, just behind former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who dropped out of the race at the end of the night, and ahead of only Rick Santorum and Jim Gilmore.

Those results make New Hampshire, with its primary next Tuesday, essentially a make-or-break state for Mr. Christie, a point that was visible as he embarked on a schedule on Tuesday of five public events, from Nashua to Bedford to Manchester.

As he spoke to the Salvation Army, he noted that it was his 67th day in New Hampshire – which he said was more than any other candidate – and he called it “the emphasis of our campaign.”

Still, he offered his opinion of the Iowa results, saying he was “not very surprised” with the pecking order of Ted Cruz-Donald Trump-Marco Rubio.

Mr. Christie said Mr. Cruz, the Texas senator, needed to win Iowa — and did. And he said did not expect a victory for Mr. Trump, saying that after meeting with Iowans he did not believe they were “all of a sudden going to vote for a billionaire real estate developer.”

“Bad morning for Donald,” he said.

When it came to Mr. Rubio’s performance, Mr. Christie said he was in his hotel room on Monday night watching the Florida senator’s speech, and from his tone, Mr. Christie thought that he had come out ahead.

“I’m like, hey, did Marco win?” Mr. Christie said. “No, he came in third!”

Mr. Christie’s analysis even extended to the Democratic side. He called the night a good one for Hillary Clinton, and a setback for Bernie Sanders. Iowa’s demographics made it a winnable state and a missed opportunity for Mr. Sanders, he said.

The Vermont senator is expected to do well in New Hampshire, where voters are familiar with him, but nonetheless, Mr. Christie said, “If he can’t win in Iowa, where else is he going to win?”