New Hampshire Governor Sununu 'definitely thinking' about White House run

[February 06, 2023]  By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said on Sunday he is considering running for U.S. president in 2024, adding that he believes Donald Trump would lose to Democratic President Joe Biden if the former president secures his party's nomination.

Sununu, who has served as governor of the small New England state since 2017, underscored the need for new leadership.

Asked during an appearance on the ABC News program "This Week" whether he is considering seeking the presidency, Sununu said, "I'm definitely thinking about it, and having those conversations. But at the end of the day, you're going to have a lot of Republicans that get in that race. They're all really good people. They're really good candidates."

He cited former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as among those he believes will compete for the 2024 Republican nomination. Trump, the only announced candidate, launched his bid in November. Haley is expected to kick off her campaign this month.

Sununu forecast that Trump would lose again to Biden if they have a rematch of the 2020 election.

"Unfortunately, at the end of the day - November of 2020 showed us that, right? - Trump is going to be seen as a very extreme candidate. The country is going to push back against it," Sununu said.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu speaks at the "Curbing the Opioid Epidemic" session at the National Governors Association summer meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., July 13, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Sununu has some familiarity with the White House. His father John Sununu, himself a former New Hampshire governor, served as White House chief of staff under Republican President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1991.

Describing his political philosophy, Chris Sununu told ABC: "I'm kind of that 'live free or die' individual liberty. I believe government has to get out of your way. And we've done it really, really well here in New Hampshire."

The Democratic National Committee on Saturday approved Biden's proposed shakeup of his party's 2024 primary calendar, ending New Hampshire's run as the party's first state-level nominating primary and giving that role to South Carolina.

The move faced opposition from leaders in New Hampshire and Iowa, which traditionally kicked off the state-by-state contest for the party presidential nominations with its caucus.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)

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