Sununu warns low turnout in New Hampshire primary will yield Trump win

Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) warned Tuesday that former President Donald Trump will likely win the New Hampshire primary next month if only the state’s Republican base turns out on Election Day.

“If only the [New Hampshire Republican] base core of voters turns out, then yeah — Trump is likely to be the winner,” he said on local radio WFEA.

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But if the turnout is higher in the first-in-the-nation primary, another winner might emerge, according to the New Hampshire governor. With a high turnout of New Hampshire Republicans and undeclared voters, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley could secure the state, Sununu predicted.

“If we had 100%, she would win in a landslide,” he said, adding that Haley has “a ground game nobody else has.”

Haley earned the popular New Hampshire governor’s endorsement last week after much speculation. Prior to the endorsement, Sununu told the Washington Examiner he planned to put the full force of his ground game behind his selected candidate.

“I’m not going to do an endorsement and sit on my hands,” he said in November. “When I do an endorsement, it’s going to be a six-, seven-, eight-, nine-week push, whatever it is, to really make sure folks know where we are. I tend to not leave anything on the table.”

In the latest New Hampshire poll by CBS News, Haley reached 29% in the Granite State, coming within 15 percentage points of Trump. The former president posted 44% in the survey, while Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) clocked in at 11%, 1 point above former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Addressing calls on Christie to drop out of the race and end his New Hampshire-centric campaign, allowing voters to consolidate behind Haley, Sununu reportedly said Tuesday, “Some of those voters are coming over, whether Christie drops out or not.”

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“Those voters are smart,” he explained, adding that they are aware Haley is the only path to defeating Trump.

The New Hampshire primary will take place Jan. 23, 2024.