NH Gov. Chris Sununu says he won’t run for president in 2024

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said Monday he will not seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024 after publicly flirting with a run for several months.

“We’ve taken the last six months to kind of look at things, where everything is, and I’ve made the decision not to run for president on the Republican ticket in 2024,” Sununu, 48, told CNN. “Obviously, a lot goes into that decision, but it’s been quite an adventure, but not the end of the adventure by any means.”

Sununu’s announcement came as a trio of current or former Republican governors are set to join the race this week.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will announce his campaign in the Granite State on Tuesday, while former Vice President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will formally enter the race Wednesday.

The threesome will join a crowded GOP field that includes former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, talk radio host Larry Elder and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

“I don’t mind who gets into the field,” Sununu told CNN’s Dana Bash.”But, given where the polls are right now, every candidate needs to understand their responsibility of getting out — and getting out quickly — if it’s not working. And I can be more candid about that, as the governor of the first-in-the-nation primary [state], calling candidates out, saying ‘Look, you gave it a try, you’re still in low-single digits, you gotta get out of the race.’”

Asked by Bash when low-polling candidates should start to bow out of the contest, Sununu responded: “Christmas at the latest.”

“If we do what we did in 2016,” the governor added, “you’re gonna have somebody win this nomination with 35% of the Republican support. That’s not where we should be as a party. That’s not where anybody wants to be.”

Currently, only Trump and DeSantis are averaging double-digit support in the RealClearPolitics polling average. Sununu, a persistent critic of the 76-year-old Trump, reiterated Monday that he did not believe the 45th president could regain the White House in 2024.

“He can’t win in November of ’24,” he said. “The math has shown Donald Trump has no chance of winning in November of ’24. He wouldn’t even win Georgia. If you’re a Republican that can’t win Georgia in November of ’24, you have no shot, and he’s proven that.”

However, Sununu stopped short of endorsing a non-Trump candidate, telling CNN: “I suspect I might [endorse, but] I couldn’t tell you who right now.”

Sununu previously turned down the opportunity to run for the US Senate against Democrat Maggie Hassan in 2022, opting instead to run for a fourth term as the Granite State’s governor.

The son of former New Hampshire governor and White House chief of staff John H. Sununu and the brother of former Sen. John E. Sununu, the governor launched a “Live Free or Die” fundraising committee in February, which was seen by many as a sign he would throw his hat in the ring. 

“I’m excited to talk about the successes that we’ve had in New Hampshire: lowering taxes, creating educational choices for parents and kids, and building opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive,” Sununu told NBC News at the time. “What we’ve done in New Hampshire is a great model for the federal government — specifically promoting the conservative tenets of limited government, local control, and individual responsibility.” 

Along with Sununu, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have all ruled themselves out of a potential presidential run.