Indian American Republican presidential aspirant Nikki Haley has won a key endorsement from New Hampshire Gov Chris Sununu (R),
as she surged into a clear second place behind former President Donald Trump.
Sununu, a popular governor since 2017, who abandoned his own potential president run in June, endorsed Nikki Haley for president Tuesday night during a joint appearance at Manchester’s McIntyre Ski Area.
“It doesn’t get any better than this — to go and get endorsed by the ‘Live Free or Die’ governor is about as rock-solid of an endorsement as we could hope for,” Haley told supporters, NHPR reported.
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Since the summer, Sununu has repeatedly promised to throw his political weight behind the Republican candidate who he believes is best equipped to derail Trump, who he insists “can’t win” in a general election in 2024.
In Haley, Sununu said he sees “an opportunity for New Hampshire to lead this country, for New Hampshire to say we’re not looking in the rearview mirror anymore.”
“It’s all about connection,” Sununu told reporters Tuesday. “She’s bringing her truth to it, at a very real level — as a wife, as a mother, as a former governor, as someone who sat in the UN, when international issues are threatening American security every single day.”
A strong finish in New Hampshire could be pivotal for Haley’s White House bid.
Recent polling puts Haley in second place in New Hampshire, outpacing every Republican but Trump, who she trails by more than 20 points.
In Iowa, where voters will caucus on Jan. 15, polls show Haley now in third place, trailing both Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has focused his campaign there and won the endorsement of Gov. Kim Reynolds.
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Sununu’s endorsement follows another high-profile boost from the Charles Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity Action.
In New Hampshire, Haley trails Trump by an average of 30 percentage points, but she has closed the gap in the last month.
Haley has gained about 6 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average of polls over the last month, meaning she’s picking up steam at the right time ahead of the Jan 23 primary.
New Hampshire has always been a priority for Haley, whose team saw the state as a strong potential launching pad for her insurgent campaign, according to the Hill. Haley traveled to New Hampshire for two town halls immediately after she opened her campaign, signaling its importance.
A Washington Post-Monmouth University poll cited by the Hill found last month found that more than 80% of New Hampshire registered Republicans and undeclared voters approve of how Sununu is handling his job.
The Hill cited New Hampshire Republican strategist Dave Carney as saying Sununu is “extremely popular” with independents in the state, which presents Haley with an opportunity based on the rules of the New Hampshire primary.
Voters in the primary do not need to be officially registered with one party to participate, and undeclared voters can choose whether to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary.
Carney emphasized that these voters are not monolithic and many will support Trump, but Sununu’s “strongest strength to help the campaign now is to really work hard to get those independents to take a second look at Haley.”