Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said Monday he will not run for president.
Sununu, who has publicly considered a bid for months, told CNN’s Dana Bash that he was worried about splitting the anti-Trump vote. A prominent critic of the former president, the governor has argued that nominating Trump a third time would lead to widespread Republican losses.
“He can’t win in November of 2024. The math has shown Donald Trump has no chance to win. He won’t even win Georgia. He’s proven that. Not only has he proven that, but the candidates he gets behind in Georgia lose the race. His messaging doesn’t translate. It does well with a 35% base, but he loses everybody beyond there,” Sununu told Bash.
#BREAKING: @ChrisSununu tells me that he is NOT running for President. Live now on @CNN. pic.twitter.com/TXhfEjzFKD
— Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) June 5, 2023
“I’m tired of losing races. And I think more folks in the Republican Party have to have that voice in making sure this is about the Republican Party, not just about the former president,” he added. “Every candidate needs to know about when to get out and get out quickly. I can do that calling candidates out saying, look, you’re in single digits. You have to get out of the race.”
Sununu is currently garnering one percent support in the RealClearPolitics average, and has not received more than two percent in any nationwide poll. Sununu did have 14% support in the New Hampshire GOP primary, according to an April poll from Saint Anselm College. (RELATED: Trump Has Double Digit-Lead Over DeSantis In Key Primary State: POLL)
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is polling at four percent support, filed paperwork to run for president on Monday. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are both expected to do so within the week.