Gov. Sununu is still milking the endorsement schtick, appearing behind another microphone to talk about himself and the value of his pick for the Republican presidential nominee.
Sununu said that he will likely be making his endorsement after Thanksgiving and that he will be choosing from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
“Right now those three candidates, I think for most folks in the Republican Party, have proved themselves to be the top choices” in addition to former President Donald Trump, Sununu said. He praised the debate performances of the three candidates while calling pharmaceutical executive Vivek Ramaswamy’s performance “a bit embarrassing” and said Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) “wasn’t incredibly inspiring.”
I’m not sure why he’d keep Christie on the list unless it were to keep himself invited to events and the chance to get more microphones in front of his face. Christie is polling fourth or worse no matter who you believe – assuming we can trust any of the polls – with Ramaswamy and even Pence (who dropped out) doing better.
What does it mean when you can’t poll better than a guy who isn’t running? Not much to Chris Sununu. Maybe he likes the former NJ governor because he has Chris in his name…twice? (Related: Republican Presidential Primary Candidates Think Sununu’s Endorsement Will be a Game Changer?)
It’s anyone’s guess, but Tim Scott dropped out last night.
I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘not now, Tim.’ I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘no.’ But I do think they’re saying ‘not now.’ And so I’m gonna respect the voters, and I’m gonna hold on and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity.
That might help Chris Sununu’s dream, which he went on the Clinton News Network to share with their paltry audience.
“When people realize that other folks can make a move here, he is going to be smoked out and have to engage folks on a debate stage and watch what he says.”
NH @GovChrisSununu says sooner or later, Trump “is going to have to start engaging” with 2024 rivals: pic.twitter.com/xdHkqafcsT
— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) November 10, 2023
Remember, it’s always more interesting when the primary race is tighter. Just look at DeSantis and Haley. They are both beginning to pick up some of the pieces left behind by Pence, but neither is consistently within 40 points of former President Trump. Scott just left a few points on the table, but I don’t see it helping Christie.
In other words, I don’t think Chris is endorsing Chis-Chris. It makes no sense.
And while New Hampshire may not always choose the winner in the General, it has a solid reputation for clearing out chaff. Candidates who do poorly tend to walk away after failing badly in the Granite State, leaving primary voters in successive states the opportunity to pick someone else.
One more point. Sununu’s past endorsements haven’t exactly been good for Republican candidates. He might be doing someone else a favor by not picking them—a non-endorsement endorsement. That’s what Vivek Ramaswamy thinks as well.
MERRIMACK, N.H. — Vivek Ramaswamy called New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu the “face of the establishment” and told reporters an endorsement from him would be the “kiss of death to whichever candidate gets it, and so I will be dodging that.”
It’s a counterintuitive strategy from Ramaswamy about a popular governor who has appeared alongside many different presidential hopefuls at their events over the course of the 2024 primary. But Sununu did criticize Ramaswamy’s aggressive debate performance last week, saying it showed he “doesn’t have the temperament” to be president.
You know nothing, NBC. It’s not counterintuitive at all. Not that Vivek is even on the shortlist. Whatever your concerns, he is not RINO enough for Sununu. There’s no DC insider connection. Sununu will leverage his announcement to benefit the Sununus. That could be as simple as connections or just opportunity. Suppose Haley happens to be surging into a strong second. In that case, he’ll pick her because it’ll make it look like his endorsement meant something to someone other than Chris Sununu, his homers, the inside-the-beltway politicos, and the media crowd.
It’s about picking the right candidate, not the winning one. As I’ve said before, if he “wanted to make a difference,” he’d endorse Trump, which would probably kill Trump’s polling and give the other candidates a shot. But it might also besmirch Sununu’s reputation with certain elites, even if it worked – taking one for the team – something he’d never risk. Not that Daddy Sununu would let him.
HT | Daily Wire
