If New Hampshire’s Republican primary were held today, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would win, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said Sunday.
“Right now, if the election were today, Ron DeSantis would win in New Hampshire. There’s no doubt about that in my mind,” Sununu told host Chuck Todd during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” in which he also said that Trump won’t end up the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.
The touting of DeSantis’ strength is a surprising sentiment from Sununu, especially since he is a possible GOP candidate himself. The Republican governor previously highlighted his own conservative credentials over DeSantis, noting that the Florida governor ranks behind him on some conservative values. But on Sunday, Sununu declined to say whether he plans to join the fray.
“I’m not really focusing on the decision right now, there will be plenty of time for that,” Sununu said. “Right now my mission is making sure we’re making this party bigger, frankly. You can’t govern if you don’t win, and so I’m really focused on how do we win?”
DeSantis has also not yet announced plans to run in 2024, though he is widely expected to join what could become a crowded Republican primary — a race that so far includes former President Donald Trump, former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Polls identify DeSantis as the only Republican who has anywhere near the current support of Trump.
Sununu, known for being outspoken against Trump, also told Todd he would support the Republican nominee, whoever it may be — but he remains convinced that someone will defeat the former president in the primary.
“I’m a lifelong Republican. I’m going to support the Republican nominee,” Sununu said. “As far as a former President Trump, I think he’s going to run — obviously he’s in the race. He’s not going to be the nominee. That’s just not going to happen.”
“I just don’t believe the Republican Party is going to say that the best leadership for America tomorrow is yesterday’s leadership,” Sununu added. “That doesn’t make any sense. That is not in our DNA as Americans.”
