New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu Mulls Presidential Run

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) has confirmed that he has considered a presidential run.

The governor cited the state’s motto, “live free or die,” as a model for his potential campaign. Sununu, known as a more centrist candidate than Republican frontrunners former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, said he is thinking through his options.

“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,” he told CNN.

Sununu referenced DeSantis’ rise through the national Republican race, saying the Florida governor “would probably win New Hampshire right now, without a doubt.” DeSantis led other Republican nominees for President in a poll conducted after the midterm elections.

Conversely, he seemed skeptical of Trump, who just hosted a rally in New Hampshire, saying the former President isn’t “really bringing that fire, that energy, I think, that a lot of folks saw … in ’16.”

“Even if you’re the former president, you got to come and earn it, person to person,” he added.

Trump is the only Republican to formally announce his candidacy. Republican operatives believe a long list of big-name Republican candidates may join him in the coming months. Sununu referenced the need to know when to get out of the race to secure Republican control of the White House.

“I think there’s a lot of hope and opportunity for good candidates to get in, drive the message where it needs to be,” he said. “But the discipline is getting out too. The discipline and saying, ‘Look, you’re only polling at 5%; you got to get out.’ We don’t want a crowded field here.”

Sununu won his reelection in November by a 15-point margin, securing his fourth term as governor.

Article by Ben Shimkus