New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) is expected to formally endorse former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) for president on Tuesday, in a state where every candidate outside former President Donald Trump is vying for second or third place.
According to sources that spoke to WMUR, Sununu is slated to endorse Haley Tuesday night at an event in Manchester after months of candidates vying for his support. Haley teased the endorsement as well.
It's going to be a great day in New Hampshire with Governor @ChrisSununu.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) December 12, 2023
See everyone in Manchester tonight! pic.twitter.com/JKDIzvvezY
WMUR notes that Sununu, in particular, has spent time with Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the latter of whom is performing better than DeSantis in the Granite State.
The endorsement will come months after Sununu ended speculation on his own political future, telling CNN’s Inside Politics in June that he would not run for president.
“We’ve taken the last six months to really look at things, where everything is, and I’ve made the decision not to run for president on the Republican ticket in 2024,” he said at the time.
“Obviously, a lot goes into that decision. It’s been quite an adventure, but not the end of the adventure by any means,” he added.
WATCH — Sununu: I Will Not Run for President in 2024
Sununu has since made his attitude toward Trump clear, stating as recently as November that Trump “can’t win in November [2024].”
“The polls that say that Donald Trump is the only Republican that loses…if they switch Biden out. I have said for a long time…Biden is not going to be on that ticket on the Democrat side,” Sununu said.
“That reality is getting closer and closer every day. The Times/Sienna poll showed that Trump loses,” he continued.
That same month, Sununu, who believes the Trump brand “doesn’t” work, stated that Trump is “a few fries short of a happy meal, so it shouldn’t surprise anybody when he says or does something stupid.”
He continued:
He’s going to do anything he can to kind of talk about the past, try to re-litigate the past, fire up his ultrabase of about 30-32 percent that probably isn’t going to move from him, really remind him why he’s going to stick with them and why they need to stick with him. If you look at the polls, though, remember a third of his voters said they would consider someone else. He knows he could be in trouble if this gets down to a one-on-one race. His only path is riling up his base with stunts like that.
WATCH — Sununu: “Donald Trump Is a Few Fries Short of a Happy Meal”
However, poll after poll — both nationally and in key battleground states — not only shows Trump dominating in the GOP primary but edging out President Joe Biden in one-on-one matchups.
Despite that, Sununu has said that supporting Trump is “effectively handing” the presidency to Vice President Kamala Harris.
None of this should come as any surprise, as Sununu joined failed 2012 presidential candidate and Never Trumper Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) in calling for the clearing of the GOP primary field soon after voting begins in order to keep Trump from winning the nomination.
RELATED — Sununu: “The Trump Brand Just Doesn’t Work”
It remains unclear if the endorsement will have any real effect on the ultimate state of the race — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ (R) endorsement of DeSantis largely failed to move the needle in his direction, for example — but it certainly serves as a blow to DeSantis, who is hoping to have a strong showing in the early states of Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire, particularly.
A leaked memo from July detailed the DeSantis campaign’s strategy, which involved devoting resources to early states, including New Hampshire.
“While Super Tuesday is critically important, we will not dedicate resources to Super Tuesday that slow our momentum in New Hampshire. We expect to revisit this investment in the Fall,” the memo read in part.
Tuesday’s RealClearPolitics (RCP) average showed Trump leading in the Granite State by 27 points with 45.7 percent support. Haley comes in second place, with 18.7 percent support, followed by Christie with 11.7 percentage points. DeSantis fell to fourth place with 7.7 percent support.
