New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who backed Nikki Haley's presidential bid, said Sunday that her potential to win his state could be thwarted if former Gov. Chris Christie remains in the race.
It comes as a poll earlier in December showed Haley trailing former President Donald Trump by just 4 percentage points with just a month until the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary.
Meanwhile, the former United Nations ambassador is also facing criticism for her recent response at a New Hampshire town hall where she failed to mention “slavery” as the main reason for the Civil War.
Sununu told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that he considers the controversy over her statement a “non-issue.”
“There's no doubt that if Christie stays in the race, there's a risk he takes her margin of victory, right?” Sununu told CNN host Dana Bash suggesting the former New Jersey governor would “do the right thing” and consider resigning to instead hurt Trump's chances of winning the early primaries in New England.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said Chris Christie will “do the right thing” in 2024 and drop out of the race before the Granite State's Jan. 23 primary.
Sununu endorsed Haley earlier this month — helping boost her already rising poll numbers in the nation's first primary state
“I think Chris is going to make a quick calculation,” Sununu predicted. “He obviously really upset all the pro-Trump people, right? I think he's a smart guy. He wants to have a voice in this party. He doesn't want to continue upsetting all the anti-Trump people because he has somewhat overstayed his welcome and put his ego first. So I just think he'll make the right decision in the end.”
Christie, the New Hampshire governor said, could ultimately support Haley.
He added that Christie doesn't have the momentum to gain enough points in New Hampshire before next month's primaries, but that Haley could.
In the latest poll of New Hampshire voters by the American Research Group, released on December 22, the former South Carolina governor held 29 percent of likely Republican voters.
Trump received 33 percent of support – meaning Haley is only four points behind.
“Granite Staters are ready for a new generation of conservative leadership,” Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said of the latest numbers.
“As Nikki continues to rise, it is clear that this is a two-person race between Nikki and Donald Trump and we look forward to debating him one-on-one.”
Only 6 percent of respondents favor Christie, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came in third with 13 percent.
Sununu reappraises the recent attacks on Haley for her Civil War comments and doesn't seem bothered by them.
“It's absolutely a non-issue,” he claimed. “She said, as you said, 'Of course it was slavery.' I think she was talking more about the freedoms we want for every American and the lessons that come from that going forward.”
“So yeah, I think she just skipped the obvious,” he added. “And yes, I think the press and the people were eager to hear her get back to the obvious issues about slavery. She cleaned it up right away and everyone moved on.”
Christie is far behind the 2024 field and is the most outspoken anti-Trump candidate. Sununu suggested that if Christie doesn't want Trump to win in New Hampshire, he should drop out to give Haley a chance at victory.
Trump faces a multi-front battle in the race to 2024 – with Colorado and Maine deciding to keep him out of the US presidential election
Meanwhile, Trump faces a battle on multiple fronts, with a slew of lawsuits and now attempts by several states to keep him out of the presidential election altogether.
The Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine Secretary of State rule this month that Trump cannot appear on the ballot due to his role in the Capitol riots of January 6, 2021. Republicans in Colorado already appealed the 4-3 decision to the Supreme Court .
Sununu said the latter will likely only boost Trump's poll numbers and make him a political martyr.
“Look, if there was any validity to keeping Trump off a ballot, you'd see 48 other states trying to do the same thing,” he told CNN on Sunday. “Personally, I think this is very politically motivated by the Secretary of State from Maine. Trump should be on the ballot. Everyone understands that.'
“This would only increase his chances of playing that victim card when we get to the primaries,” he added. “It doesn't help at all, and I just don't think it's right. “I think, again, the U.S. Supreme Court will probably overturn both challenges, and we can all move forward with him on the ballot in all fifty states, so Nikki Haley can beat him in all fifty states.”
Polls from mid-December show Nikki Haley in second place – just 4 percentage points behind Donald Trump