Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) claimed on Saturday that the future leadership of the Republican Party looked “pretty good” without former President Donald Trump after the first Republican debate on Wednesday night.
Eight candidates appeared on the debate stage in Milwaukee, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
SPACEX LAUNCHES FIRST FULLY INTERNATIONAL CREW TO ISS
“The candidates did not really talk about Trump; they talked about themselves and where they saw America going in the future, and for the first time in six years, we’ve seen leadership in the Republican Party without Donald Trump, and it looked pretty good to some people,” Sununu told NPR.
Sununu added that he does not believe that Trump will be the Republican nominee in 2024, even though he is still the front-runner in current polls despite multiple indictments.
The governor, who has regularly spoken out against Trump, has not publicly endorsed a candidate for the GOP nomination but claimed Pence and Haley did the best at strengthening their campaigns. Sununu also claimed he believes Haley did a good job at separating herself from Trump, even though she had served in his administration, and urged the other candidates to separate themselves.
“They don’t have to go nuclear like Chris [Christie] does … but everyone in their own way has to find separation from him,” Sununu said on News Nation Friday. “Some of them are doing it, some of them aren’t.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sununu said his focus for the election is to help the candidates and the party, not seek political office himself. The four-term governor decided against seeking a fifth term this cycle, despite remaining a popular conservative in a liberal state. He also said he was not seeking his own bid for the White House because he was a businessman and CEO, not a politician.
New Hampshire will be the first state to hold a Republican presidential primary in 2024 but the second to nominate after the Iowa Caucus. The Republican Iowa Caucus will be held Jan. 15, but a date for the New Hampshire primary has not been finalized.
