So much for “we will win.”
Nikki Haley’s top successor in New Hampshire, GOP Gov. Chris Sununu, is tempering expectations for the former ambassador to the United Nations in the state’s primary election next week.
“We always want to have a strong moment. That’s the only expectation we ever put there,” the governor said ABC News Correspondent Byron Pitts.
That statement is not nearly as repulsive as what the governor told an audience in Londonderry Jan. 3.
After saying that “having a strong second-place finish has always been our goal” in the Granite State, the governor added: “We’re done, guys … we’re going to win.”
“I don’t predict anything,” Sununu told Fox News Wednesday night his expectations for Haley in the Jan. 23 contest. “I think he can win. We have exceeded expectations in terms of one-on-one racing. A strong moment will be great. It’s going to be tough.”
NEW: @ChrisSununu only said Nikki Haley “always wanted to have a strong moment” in New Hampshire. “That’s the only expectation we’ve ever expressed,” he claimed.
Sununu previously promised Haley would “win big.”
Roll up the tape. pic.twitter.com/IEmWUskQyc
— DeSantis War Room ? (@DeSantisWarRoom) January 18, 2024
New Hampshire is widely seen as Haley’s best chance to keep former President Donald Trump from entering the Republican nomination later this year, especially after she finished third behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Monday’s Iowa caucus.
Matt Wolking, director of strategic communications for the DeSantis-aligned Super PAC Never Back Down, was quick to highlight a past quote from Sununu that boosted Haley’s prospects.
“It was an absolute victory,” Sununu told ABC News last month about his state primary. “No, it’s a win and a reset button. If everyone who could vote in the primary went out and voted … he would win by a landslide, and that’s no exaggeration.”
Sununu set Haley’s bar high
12/31/23: “Nikki Haley could … hand Trump an unthinkable defeat in the next few weeks. And I think that’s very likely to happen.”
12/17/23: “Oh, it’s a total win… If everyone who can vote in the primary comes out and… https://t.co/jZTW3HxnNV
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) January 18, 2024
Nikki Haley has performed well in New Hampshire. Getty Images
As of Thursday, Trump averaged 46.3% support in New Hampshire, followed by Haley at 33.5% and DeSantis at 6.0%, according to RealClearPolitics.
Haley and Trump are expected to benefit from the withdrawal of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, respectively, from the race.
Although Christie has yet to endorse any candidate, Ramaswamy strongly supports Trump and campaigned for him in New Hampshire.
Chris Sununu is endorsing Nikki Haley and has urged the GOP to take on Donald Trump in the primary. AP
Meanwhile, Trump has stepped up his attacks on Haley, telling supporters in Atkinson, NH, Tuesday night that he “expects Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary.”
“A bunch of people who come in are not Republicans,” the 45th president said, “and it artificially inflates the numbers here, even though we still lead by a lot.”
Haley has fired back, blasting Trump for creating “chaos and drama” while also highlighting his weakness on conservative issues like increasing the national debt.
Donald Trump is the front runner. Reuters
Haley’s campaign recently released a video recapping some of Trump’s previous praise for her performance as UN ambassador.
“Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Haley’s work as a strong UN Ambassador who stands up to America’s enemies and defends our friends,” said Haley’s communications director, Nachama Soloveichik.
“He’s just singing a different tune now that he’s threatened by Haley’s resurgence in the election.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
