Donald Trump Should Worry: GOP Names Could Soon Lineup Against Him – Name recognition is considered to be very important for any politician, and Chris Sununu is arguably from one of the country’s noted political dynasties.
Now serving his fourth term as governor of New Hampshire, he is the son of former Governor John H. Sununu while his older brother, John E. Sununu, also served as a U.S. Congressman and Senator for the Live Free or Die State.
Donald Trump Could Soon Be Challenged for 2024
Chris Sununu could soon become the first Republican to challenge former president Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination for 2024.
When asked on Sunday by CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” whether he was considering a presidential run, Governor Sununu answered, “Yes,” adding, “I really don’t have a timeline. I’m spending a lot of time naturally trying to grow the party as Republicans, talk to independents, talk to the next generation of potential Republican voters that right now no one is really reaching out to.”
This may not be a new consideration actually.
Sununu announced in November 2021 that he would seek a fourth term as governor of New Hampshire rather than run for the U.S. Senate. It may have been a good move, as he went on to win the race by more than 15 points last fall.
New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Vermont, to hold gubernatorial elections every two years as opposed to four.
This could further signal that he was already lining up for a White House bid – as he could tout his direct accomplishments as governor.
DeSantis is Still the Candidate to Beat
Even as Sununu is considering a run, he did acknowledge on Sunday that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “would probably win New Hampshire right now, without a doubt.”
According to a recent University of New Hampshire poll, DeSantis leads Trump 42 percent to 30 percent among likely GOP primary voters. Other polled candidates, including Sununu, were in the single digits.
“I’m surprised other candidates, I think a lot of us, aren’t doing better,” Sununu said, but added, “I’m surprised I’m on that poll at all, frankly.”
Sununu also suggested that Donald Trump, who had campaigned in New Hampshire on Saturday, was off his game.
“(Trump) comes to New Hampshire, he gives, frankly, a very mundane speech. The response we received was, he read his teleprompter, he stuck to his talking points, he went away,” Sununu said. “So he’s not really bringing that fire, that energy that a lot of folks saw in ’16. In a lot of ways, I think it was a little disappointing to some folks, even he acknowledged it wasn’t his best. He came to a pre-determined crowd, not one of his big rallies. So, I think a lot of folks understand that he’s gonna be a candidate, but he’s also gonna have to earn it. And that’s New Hampshire. Even if you’re the former president, you have to come and earn it, person-to-person.”
Despite the fact that the Granite State governor could be a challenger for the GOP nomination next year, Donald Trump didn’t mention Sununu during Saturday’s campaign stop.
That could be a mistake that the former president could come to regret.
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Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
