Sununu withholding pivotal endorsement that could shake up GOP primary in early voting state

Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) avoided endorsing a presidential candidate on Tuesday, an endorsement many contenders are hoping to secure in the crucial GOP battleground.

New Hampshire holds the first primary and second overall contest on the 2024 Republican nominating calendar, with all GOP White House hopefuls showing up to the Granite State early and often. However, Sununu has been hesitant to endorse a candidate while working to ensure former President Donald Trump is not the party’s nominee.

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Speaking on Pulse of NH radio network, Sununu said there are a “couple of candidates he could endorse.”

“If I make an endorsement, I make an endorsement. Don’t put too much stock in my endorsement,” Sununu said while praising Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), whom he is campaigning with on Tuesday. A town hall in Seacoast will feature both DeSantis and Sununu this evening.

“The race is actually wide open. I think there’s three or four candidates that are clearly surging ahead. There’s six or seven, I don’t even know how many we’re counting at this point in the race,” Sununu told the Messenger during a campaign stop in Londonderry alongside the Florida governor.

DeSantis, also appearing on Pulse of NH, acknowledged Trump’s strong base in New Hampshire but said that as he spends more time in the state, he’s appealing to more voters.

However, DeSantis is not the only candidate who’s been courting Sununu’s approval. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) floated Sununu, alongside several other names, as a possible running mate in 2024 during an event in New Hampshire last month. Sununu said he would not be interested in being vice president for any of the 2024 candidates, telling CNN he wants to help the Republican Party but has no interest in going to Washington.

Although primary ballots won’t be cast for months, Sununu’s endorsement could help close the gap in the polls that Republican candidates are striving for as Trump holds a massive lead. The latest poll from USA Today, the Boston Globe, and Suffolk University showed Trump at 49% with New Hampshire voters, with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley at 19%.

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On Monday, Trump filed for the New Hampshire primary and held a campaign event in which he alluded to his debunked claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, telling voters, “So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there, and you got to watch those voters.” He added, “You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes, you gotta watch.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Sununu’s team for comment.