The Sununu Factor
Haley has an important supporter in New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
Sununu is one of the most popular governors in the country and is himself among the state’s elite. His family owns and operates a ski resort in northern New Hampshire that he helped run before he was elected in 2017. As governor, Sununu has championed a platform of fiscal responsibility and traditional conservative policies, such as business tax cuts.
His electoral success rate in the state is nearly unmatched – he won four races before announcing last year that he would not seek another term. Sununu chalks his victories up to retail politics and says that’s how Haley can pull ahead in the state, too.
“National strategies don’t work in New Hampshire,” he said in an interview. “You’ve got to be really genuine. You’ve got to connect with folks. That’s the fundamental rule.”
Greg Moore, state director of Americans for Prosperity, an arm of the conservative Koch-backed group that endorsed Haley in November, noted that Sununu has a higher favorability than Trump with wealthy suburban voters.
For instance, in the 2020 general election, Trump lost the once-Republican stronghold of Bedford, a suburb of Manchester, to President Joe Biden. In the same election, Sununu carried the town by more than 70%.
“If Nikki Haley is smart, she’s listening to him, as he sort of gives her advice as to how to position herself with those types of communities,” Moore said. “Fundamentally, I think that’s an area where she can really clean up.”