Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) believes former President Donald Trump could get “smoked out” in the Republican presidential primary if the rest of the field continues to consolidate.
Sununu, responding to Trump’s Thursday comments where he threatened to indict potential opponents to him if he becomes president again, said on CNN This Morning that he could get into trouble with his electoral chances within the GOP if he continues to skip presidential debates and be loose with his words.
WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT: HERE’S THE SENATE STATE OF PLAY FOR 2024
“When people realize that other folks can make a move here, he is going to be smoked out and have to engage folks on a debate stage and watch what he says.”
NH @GovChrisSununu says sooner or later, Trump “is going to have to start engaging” with 2024 rivals: pic.twitter.com/xdHkqafcsT
— CNN This Morning (@CNNThisMorning) November 10, 2023
“I think he kind of feels like he has the opportunity to say whatever he wants and he’s going to secure the nomination. I personally don’t believe that’s the case. I think you have three or four very strong opportunities. We’re still two months away from Iowa and a couple of months from New Hampshire,” Sununu said.
“Even a lot of his folks — I saw some folks interviewing people coming out of that rally saying, ‘Well, he’s a front-runner, so we’re going to support him,’ right? No. I think when people start realizing that other folks can make a move here, he’s going to be — I would call it smoked out and have to actually engage folks on the debate stage and start watching what he’s saying,” he added.
When asked further about his comments that Trump could get “smoked out,” the New Hampshire Republican argued that if a viable alternative to Trump manifests among the rest of the field, the former president will “have to really start engaging” with voters.
“He could. He has to win, right — he has to win Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina. Otherwise, it will be seen as a major upset. Somebody else has to come in a consistent second to be the alternative,” Sununu said. “And if it gets down to that one-on-one race before Super Tuesday, I mean, all of a sudden, somebody’s going to be within 10 points or less of him, and he’s going to have to really start engaging.”
“He’s not going to be able to avoid the fact that he’s being severely challenged. Most folks won’t decide who they’re voting for until well after Thanksgiving. That’s just the nature of a voter and the nature of the base in Iowa and New Hampshire,” he said.
Trump remains the front-runner in the Republican primary field, with the RealClearPolitics polling average showing him at 47.3% in the early primary state of Iowa, followed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) at 17% and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at 14%. In the Hawkeye State, Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) has endorsed DeSantis, which is viewed as a significant boost to his campaign.
Sununu, who governs the state which holds the second primary contest, has said he intends to make an endorsement in the “next few weeks” but would not reveal who that will be on CNN on Friday. Although he declined to say who he would endorse, Sununu said DeSantis, Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all have “a shot” at winning the GOP nomination.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I think there’s clearly — if you go back three months ago, there were like 13 candidates in the race. I think you can effectively say there’s three that have a shot here. And those are three governors — Christie, Haley, and DeSantis — the three that clearly did the best on the debate stage the other night — five on the debate stage,” he said.
“Three governors are really pushing hard. Their numbers are actually moving a bit in Iowa and New Hampshire. And I think that’s where a lot of the emphasis and focus is going to be. You see a lot of the consolidation there. And if you get past New Hampshire and get consolidated behind one — well, there it is,” he added.
