New Hampshire governor endorses Nikki Haley ahead of Republican primary
Chris Sununu, a critic of Donald Trump, is very popular in his state, which is one of the first to elect delegates
Nikki Haley’s campaign is continuing its relatively good momentum. Although all of Donald Trump’s rivals in the Republican primary are trailing far behind him in voting intention, the former ambassador to the U.N. remains on an upward trend and is about to surpass the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. After winning the support of Americans for Prosperity Action, the largest conservative network in the country, on Tuesday, she was endorsed by the governor of New Hampshire, Republican Chris Sununu.
The primary race begins on January 15 with the Iowa caucuses. The following week, it is New Hampshire’s turn to vote. The first states are decisive in assessing a presidential hopeful’s chances in the race. Voters and donors follow the caucuses closely. A bad result in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina is synonymous with dropping out of the presidential race. A good result — relatively speaking — means a candidate can keep the flame of hope alive.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has offered her support to Ron DeSantis, but she’s not as popular in her state as Sununu is in his. In November last year, he was re-elected governor of New Hampshire — a state that traditionally has been governed by the Democrats — with 57% of the vote.
The governor’s endorsement may be key to Haley’s efforts to beat DeSantis in the primaries and overshadow Trump, but it is no guarantee of success. Last year, some of the candidates Sununu endorsed lost the Republican primaries to Trump’s favorites. Among the latter was the Senate candidate Don Bolduc, who was so far-right that the Democrats supported him in the primary race and then defeated him at the midterms.
“Nikki Haley is the candidate with the momentum to win and get our party back on track to delivering conservative victories across the country. She’s answered our questions and built trust. Proud to endorse Nikki Haley for President and hope you’ll join me in this movement!” Sununu posted on X on Tuesday, after taking part in Haley’s campaign event in Manchester, the main city in the state, with a population of around 115,000.
“This is an opportunity for New Hampshire to lead this country, for New Hampshire to say we’re not looking in the rearview mirror anymore,” Sununu said at the event. He also sent a message to Trump: “Thank you for your service, Mr. President, we’re moving on. This is New Hampshire, and we go forward.”
“People are frustrated. Over the last eight years, we’ve had a president that’s more concerned about nap time and we’ve had a president that’s worried about his jail time,” Sununu continued. “We’ve got to be able to move forward. That’s drama. That is chaos. So we’re not going to as a party bring someone forward that is constantly distracted with whatever nonsense and drama that the former president brings to the table.”
It’s the same message that Haley’s campaign is pushing. The former governor is calling for an end to chaos, drama and revenge, as she said in the last Republican primary debate.
“So thankful that the Live Free or Die [the slogan of New Hampshire] governor is on our team — it doesn’t get any more rock-solid than this! Thank you Chris Sununu for your support and friendship. We’re 42 days until the primary — let’s make history!” said Haley, who has begun a three-day campaign tour of New Hampshire, which she has visited numerous occasions since she launched her White House run in February.
Trump has an enormous lead in the U.S., with 61% voting intention, according to the weighted aggregation of FiveThirtyEight polls. However, in New Hampshire, he is polling at 44.7%, compared to 18.9% for Haley, who is in second place. Some Donald Trump critics have called on Chris Christie — who is third in the state with 11.6% — to withdraw from a race that he has no chance of winning, so that Haley can consolidate the votes of Republicans who want an alternative to Trump.
Trump surprised New Hampshire in 2016 by winning the state’s primary with 35% of the votes. From there, his campaign only got stronger until he won the White House. The former president lost the elections in New Hampshire against Hillary Clinton in 2016 and against Joe Biden in 2020. While DeSantis has the support of the Iowa governor and Haley the endorsement of the New Hampshire governor, Trump has the support of Henry McMaster, the governor of South Carolina. Although Haley comes from South Carolina and was the state’s governor, Trump is leading the polls there, with 50.7% voting intention, compared to Haley’s 21.8%.
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