Mary Pintea – News Editor

mvp5879@psu.edu

In a Sunday interview, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu stated that he is considering a White House bid in 2024. 

A devout GOP member, Sununu cites New Hampshire’s “live free or die” slogan as a solid model for the Republican Party. When CNN’s Dana Bush asked whether a 2024 presidential run was on the pike, Sununu responded, “Yes. I really don’t have a timeline. I’m spending a lot of time naturally trying to grow the party as Republicans, talk to independents, talk to the next generation of potential Republican voters that right now no one is really reaching out to.” Last fall, Sununu won a fourth two-year term as governor by more than 15 points.

Thus far, former president Donald Trump remains one of the only high-profile Republican party members to have officially filed for a 2024 White House run. Still, several others–including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis–are planning to challenge him for a nomination. 

Sununu acknowledged that DeSantis would most likely win New Hampshire right now but has doubts about Trump winning New Hampshire in 2024. Trump’s rankings declined across three CNN polls geared toward GOP-aligned voters last year, with the January 2022 poll showing a near-even split. By December 2022, only 38 percent of those GOP members believed that Trump would be the Republican party nominee.

Sununu was asked about a recent University of New Hampshire poll that showed DeSantis leading Trump 42 percent to 30 percent among likely state GOP primary voters, with all other polled candidates in single digits, with his response being, “I’m surprised other candidates, I think a lot of us, aren’t doing better.” He acknowledged that candidates should know when to exit the race. 

Politics runs in Sununu’s family: He is the 82nd governor of New Hampshire, while his father, John H. Sununu, was the 75th governor, serving from 1983 to 1989. Shortly after, he became President George H.W. Bush’s White House Chief of Staff. His older brother, John E. Sununu, represented the state in the House and Senate from 1997 to 2009.