New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Saturday underscored a “huge opportunity” for Republican candidates by giving his two cents on a drop in former President Donald Trump’s polling results in his state.
Sununu, during an appearance on Fox News, argued that the “reality” of Trump’s no-win in the 2024 presidential election is “coming true” as he reviewed a recent University of New Hampshire poll that showed Trump losing five percentage points with likely GOP voters since April.
“When you have an incumbent president who sits under 40%, that’s a huge opportunity for everyone,” said Sununu, who teased a 2024 presidential bid but ultimately passed on a campaign.
The governor and frequent Trump critic noted that the poll shows “over 60%” of voters are not with the former state president, saying part of Trump’s performance in the poll is due to sympathy for “political attacks” against him.
Sununu has previously criticized Trump’s Republican rivals for not being more critical of Trump, referring to the federal indictment tied to him during the campaign trail.
He told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto that GOP candidates should sue Trump as they seek their party’s nomination.
“Either you’re ready to swing, or you’re ready to throw the punch and take the hit and show leadership, or you bow down,” Sununu said.
“I don’t understand the politics of this one because you’re not going to get a Trump voter, are you? They are with Trump. If the base is with Trump, the base is with Trump. He will always be in the race. So you have to find your own way… You have to go through it. You cannot circumvent it. They tried that in 16, they tried to avoid controversy. Leadership takes it head on.
FILE – New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu speaks on stage at the 2023 TIME100 Summit in April. The frequent Trump critic will not seek re-election to a fifth term in 2024, sharing in an interview that the country’s “toxic political climate” did not play a role in his decision, the Associated Press reported.
The governor recently announced he would not seek re-election in 2024 as his state prepares for its presidential primary next year, according to The Associated Press. He has vowed to be an “aggressive supporter of everyone” besides Trump in the primaries as well.
“Donald Trump does not represent the Republican Party. He could be our candidate, but he does not represent the future. It is yesterday’s news,” he said.