New Hampshire’s Sununu campaigns with DeSantis
RYE, N.H. – Amid falling New Hampshire poll numbers and after focusing much of his campaign efforts in Iowa, GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis turned his attention Tuesday to New Hampshire, campaigning alongside the state’s popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
At an outdoor town hall hosted by the DeSantis Super PAC Never Back Down, Sununu and DeSantis pitched Granite State voters less on policy issues and more on winning elections.
“I am tired of losing,” Sununu said before introducing DeSantis to the standing-room-only crowd in Rye, New Hampshire. “You want to win in November? Then let’s get behind a winner.”
Once he took the stage, DeSantis touted his own election record, telling attendees that he transformed a once purple state into a conservative hotbed, winning “re-election by 20 points, a 1.5 million vote margin.”
DeSantis said going forward he will have a dual focus on Iowa and New Hampshire in an effort to win voters in both states, promising a diner crowd earlier in the day, “You are going to see a lot of us.”
Don’t mistake the joint appearances as Sununu’s endorsement for the Florida Governor, though.
The Granite State leader has similarly campaigned with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Palmetto State Sen. Tim Scott, among others in the race, New Hampshire GOP Chair Chris Ager told USA TODAY.
“I think the governor has already stated that he would likely endorse someone other than President Trump,” Ager said. “This is no surprise to me that he would be with Gov. DeSantis while he’s in the state.”
And even if Sununu were to endorse DeSantis, it’s unclear how far his support would go in the contest.
Thomas Vanderslice, a 23-year-old Sununu supporter and one of the few young people in the crowd, said the governor’s support “would be pretty impactful” in helping him make a decision next year between his top two candidates – Desantis and Haley.
Some 63% of New Hampshire residents said they approved of the governor’s performance in an August survey conducted by The University of New Hampshire. Still, the state’s first-inthe-nation primary voters are known for their independent decision-making, a trait that was on display by many attendees at the event.
For instance, Don Chase, a 76-yearold undecided New Hampshire voter sitting in the back row, said he “didn’t really care” about Sununu’s opinion. “I care about the candidate and what they stand for,” he asserted.
Whoever the Republican governor decides to lend his support to, the decision isn’t likely to land anytime soon.
“The governor plans to continue campaigning with candidates in the weeks and months ahead,” a spokesperson for the governor said. “He is not close to making an endorsement in this race and will let everyone know when he makes his decision.”
Sununu opted not to throw his hat into the 2024 campaign earlier this year, citing fear that a crowded field could hand the nomination over “to a candidate who earns just 35 percent of the vote.”