Rye, New Hampshire – Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said he has not asked his friend Chris Christie to withdraw from the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
But Sununu told Fox News that Christie's “approval ratings are going down,” arguing that the former New Jersey governor has “reached a breaking point” in his second bid for the White House.
He also emphasized that Christie “has a chance to be a hero.” [Haley] From above.To deliver [former President Donald] Trump lost and Nikki is the victory that America is looking for. ”
Sununu, a popular Republican governor in the state's first primary on the Republican presidential nomination calendar, endorsed Haley last month, dealing a blow to Christie, who is once again committed to a strong showing in New Hampshire. .
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At a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire on December 12, 2023, Republican Governor Chris Sununu announced his support for former Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Ms. Haley surged in New Hampshire polls last month and is now in second place, ahead of Ms. Christie. She narrowed the gap with Trump, who remains the front-runner for the Republican nomination as she seeks a third consecutive White House bid.
Christie and Sununu are longtime friends and two of Trump's most vocal Republicans. However, Sununu has argued on the campaign trail and in interviews since endorsing Haley that Christie has no path to the nomination.
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“I know he's disappointed that I couldn't support him, but at the end of the day, this is the way to go. It looks like Chris maxed out at about 13% of the vote. We'll tell the truth about Trump, but that's very different from whether that translates into votes for the presidential candidate of the United States,” Sununu said on Fox News Digital after introducing Haley at a town hall on the New Hampshire coast Tuesday night. told.
He said Christie “isn't going to skyrocket 30% in the next three weeks. That's not happening. He hasn't conducted any ground operations in other states and will only use New Hampshire as a launch pad. “I can't do that,” he emphasized. Nothing else. ”
“It's not his thing,” Christie told Fox News last month after Sununu endorsed Haley. [Sununu’s] My job is to tell someone when to go out. He can support whoever he wants, but it's not his job to tell someone when to withdraw from the race. Let me be clear about that because it's a personal choice and I'm not going anywhere. ”
When asked about those comments on Tuesday, Sununu said, “I'm not telling Chris to get out. Yeah, I called Chris Christie and said, 'Absolutely get out.' That's not the case,” he said.
“I think Chris is smart enough to see the writing on the wall. It's a great opportunity for him to not only support Nikki here, but to do something that's really important to the country and the party and start moving us forward. “He has been doing that, and I think he has an opportunity to continue to be a very important voice in that,” Sununu added.
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Prior to Haley's Town Hall, the former South Carolina governor, who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, said in an interview on Fox News Digital that Sununu “knows this state very well. He knows what the people of the Granite State want.” I know if there are any.” “They trust him. They have a relationship with him. So I think people believe whatever he says.”
When asked about Christie, Haley said, “I think the reality is this. Look at what Christie wanted. Christie didn't want Trump to win. Our goal is “It's about making sure our country doesn't win and making our country stronger and stronger.” I'm proud again and that's what we're trying to do. ”
Christie has repeatedly pushed back against suggestions that to defeat Trump, she should drop out of the race and support Haley. He emphasized that he is the only direct rival to former President Trump in the election campaign.
“Some people say I should pull out of this race. Really? I'm the only one saying Donald Trump is a liar,” Christie said on independent New Hampshire television. He spoke directly to the camera in the digitally aired ad. Voters and moderates have long played a key role in the state's famous primaries.
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On Tuesday, when Sununu teamed up with Haley again in New Hampshire ahead of the state's Jan. 23 primary, Christie said in an interview with CNN, “When Chris started working for Nikki Haley, Nikki…・Now that he is an employee of Haley, it doesn't matter.'' It's already the same Chris Sununu. ”
“Chris Sununu was one of the most vocal critics of Donald Trump in this country,” Christie added. “This is a man who has said Donald Trump is not worthy. All the things his candidate doesn't want to say.”
Mr. Cherstie accused Mr. Sununu of abandoning “principles to seek domestic political support.”
2024 Republican presidential candidate, former ambassador and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley speaks at City Hall in Rye, New Hampshire on January 2, 2023. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Sununu will continue campaigning with Haley at three events in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
She is scheduled to face Haley in Iowa this weekend ahead of the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses, which kick off the Republican presidential nomination calendar.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
