(NewsNation) — Chris Sununu, the Republican governor of New Hampshire, will not be seeking the Republican nomination for president, he told CNN on Monday.
Sununu also wrote about his decision in an opinion piece for the Washington Post called “I’m not running for president in 2024. Beating Trump is more important.”
“The path to winning was clear, but I believe I can have more influence on the future of the Republican Party and the 2024 nominating process not as a candidate but as the governor of the first-in-the-nation primary state — a governor who is unafraid to speak candidly about issues, candidates and the direction of our party, untethered from the limitations of a presidential campaign and unleashed from conventional boundaries,” he wrote. “We must not be complacent, and candidates should not get into this race to further a vanity campaign, to sell books or to audition to serve as Donald Trump’s vice president.”
Former President Donald Trump is part of a growing field of Republicans vying to be the party’s 2024 presidential candidate. It includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Sununu was sworn in for his fourth term as governor in January. That, combined with a high approval rating, led to widespread speculation that he would launch a presidential bid.
He even told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas in a previous interview that he would “absolutely jump in” to the race if it was good for the country.
But during the same interview, Sununu also said it’s important for the GOP to avoid a repeat of the 2022 midterm elections, where Republicans underperformed — contrary to political analysts’ expectations.
“We got behind extreme candidates based solely on ideology without really appreciating, you can’t govern if you don’t win,” he said on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “Let’s put winners on the ballot for November.”
Despite the fact that he ultimately decided not to run for commander-in-chief himself, Sununu had harsh words for Trump in the Washington Post:
“If he is the nominee, Republicans will lose again, just as we did in 2018, 2020 and 2022,” he wrote. “This is indisputable, and I am not willing to let it happen without a fight. By choosing not to seek the nomination, I can be more effective for the Republican Party in ways few other leaders can.”
Now, Sununu wrote, he plans to use the “microphone” given to him as governor of New Hampshire to endorse, campaign for and support the candidate he believes has the best chance of winning next year.
NewsNation digital reporter Andrew Dorn contributed to this article.
