Haley doesn’t need Jan 23 win to sustain presidential bid, New Hampshire governor says
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New Hampshire so far presents the strongest opportunity for US presidential hopeful Nikki Haley to upset Donald Trump.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Mrs Nikki Haley can sustain her presidential campaign into the next round of Republican primaries even without a win in Jan 23’s contest in New Hampshire, the state’s Governor Chris Sununu said.
Mr Sununu, New Hampshire’s popular chief executive, endorsed Mrs Haley for the Republican nomination and has campaigned extensively with her across the Granite State.
Mrs Haley needs a strong showing there after finishing third in Iowa’s Jan 15 Republican caucus
“Just showing a stronger performance than was in Iowa, that’s the most important piece right now and having less candidates in the race and defining it as a one-on-one race
New Hampshire so far presents the strongest opportunity for Mrs Haley – a former US ambassador to the UN – to upset Trump. This is due to the state’s more moderate electorate and the ability of undeclared voters to participate in the Republican primary.
Even so, a CNN poll released on Jan 21 showed Trump with 50 per cent support among likely Republican primary voters, versus 39 per cent for Mrs Haley.
Both candidates have seen an increase in support since a previous survey earlier in January, when Trump had the backing of 39 per cent of voters and Mrs Haley registered at 32 per cent. DeSantis was at 6 per cent, the CNN poll found.
Mr Sununu dismissed characterisations that early contests in New Hampshire and Mrs Haley’s home state of South Carolina were make or break for her presidential bid.
But he said she must notch wins in the Super Tuesday round of primaries on March 5.
Mr Sununu said Trump has sought to frame the early primaries as must-win contests because the former president wants to end the nomination race early.
“I don’t think any of these early states are must wins for Haley,” Mr Sununu said. “When you get to Super Tuesday, OK, now you really have to start winning states obviously. But as long as she keeps building on that momentum, I think there’s a lot of opportunity.”
Mr Sununu has long been a staunch critic of Trump. In the Bloomberg Television interview, he cited Trump’s loss in 2020 to Joe Biden and said that the former president has hurt the Republicans’ ability to win congressional races.
“Because of that Trump brand, we’ve lost in 2018 and 2020 and 2022,” he said. “We’re just tired of that brand that just drags the rest of the Republican Party down.”
Trump has begun to look ahead to the Feb 24 primary in South Carolina.
On Jan 20, in a jab at Mrs Haley, Trump was joined at a New Hampshire rally by current South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and several state lawmakers, a day after announcing the endorsement of South Carolina US Senator Tim Scott.
Mr Sununu criticised Mr Scott for endorsing the former president over Mrs Haley, who appointed Mr Scott to the chamber in 2012, when she was South Carolina governor.
“Tim Scott wouldn’t be a senator without Nikki Haley,” he said. “That’s why what he did was so disrespectful.” BLOOMBERG
