Sununu on Trump: ‘He’s like a shell of himself’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/12/sununu-trump-hes-like-shell-himself/ excerpt: Nine questions for … New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu: We sat down with Sununu on Thursday to discuss his White House aspirations, his thoughts on former president Donald Trump’s CNNtown hall in his state and whether Republicans have forgotten some of the lessons of the midterm elections. This transcript has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. The Early: Are you running for president? Sununu: I’m very strongly thinking about it. I’m leaning towards it, but I'll come to a firm decision probably mid-June or so. I want to make sure that there’s a path not just for me — which there is, and I'm happy to say it's clear and the family support is there. It's really about how can I be the most effective in achieving what I think is the most important mission, which is bringing independents back onto the team, bringing young voters back into the Republican Party. If I can do that more effectively as a presidential candidate, that's great. If I can do that more as a first-in-the-nation primary referee, if you want to call it that, maybe there's more effectiveness there. The Early: So you’re not considering running because you don’t see anyone else out there whom you think could defeat Trump? Sununu: I think other candidates could do it, to be sure. I think I could definitely do it. *** The Early: What did you think of Trump's appearance at St. Anselm College on Wednesday? Sununu: It was weak. It was defensive. It was bitter. It really was everything that America is not looking for in leadership. And it just reiterated the idea that he cannot win in November. He could get the nomination, but he cannot win in November. He didn’t even look like he had his fastball anymore. He’s like a shell of himself. The Early: Trump said he was “honored” to have nominated Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, even though he refused to say whether he would sign federal abortion restrictions. How do you think that position plays with Republican primary voters? Sununu: It plays with a select base of pro-life primary voters, but that isn’t the only issue that the majority of primary voters look at. It's a position that is a loser for November of ‘24. It could help him with a core group of voters that are probably already with him in the primary, but it's a losing message for the Republican Party as a whole. The Early: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s considering a presidential run, signed a six-week abortion ban last month. How do you think that plays with Republican primary voters and with general election voters? Sununu: I don’t think it plays well. I think it definitely went too far and could hurt him politically in both the primary and general election. The Early: On Wednesday Trump called Jan. 6 “a beautiful day” — Sununu: Awful. The Early: — and said he was “inclined” to pardon many of the rioters. How much does that matter to GOP primary voters? Sununu: I definitely think it hurts him in the Republican primary. You can’t just have such denial, such an absence of ownership of what happened both in the election he lost and on Jan. 6. He was a big part of that insurrection. The Early: There was some disagreement during in the midterms last year about how much voters would care about Jan. 6 — Sununu: Go look at the results of November of ‘22. You tell me if voters didn’t care. Of course they did. That's why that's a big part of why we lost. Constant election denial from those candidates is why we lost. Constant support of President Trump from those candidates is why we lost. In the week after that election in November, everyone went, “Man, okay, I think we learned our lesson. We’ve got to move on from extreme candidates. We have to move on from anyone who's defending Jan. 6 and election denial. These are losing messages.” But man, six months later, we seem to have completely forgotten about that. more
He’s been thinking about it for months. At this point I would be surprised if he gets in. Asa Hutchinson is trying to capitalize on the anti Trump vote and will likely be 2024’s Kohn Kasich. I’m not sure if Sununu has any greater appeal than Hutchinson. also Chris Christie might be looking to get into that lane too.
I welcome anyone not Trump crazy but too crowded a field will again yield Trump. Wish the primaries use rank choice voting.
more Sununu noise Chris Sununu Leans Into the White House Race New Hampshire’s governor is taking steps to run in 2024. https://thedispatch.com/article/chris-sununu-leans-into-the-white-house-race/ another one: On the Trail: Sununu discusses what his run for president would look like for NH https://www.concordmonitor.com/Penc...nounce-candidacy-Nikki-Haley-returns-51017149
Sununu will make 2024 decision in ‘next week or two’ https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4024216-sununu-will-make-2024-decision-in-next-week-or-two/
Sure seems like a lot of people who don't want to see Donald Trump be president again are repeating the exact same mistakes that helped him become president in 2016.
Sununu has decided against running Opinion: I’m not running for president in 2024. Beating Trump is more important. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/05/chris-sununu-trump-gop-2024/
Why so many weak candidates ---> “candidates should not get into this race to further a vanity campaign, to sell books or to audition to serve as Donald Trump’s vice president.” "Our party is on a collision course toward electoral irrelevance without significant corrective action. The stakes are too high for a crowded field to hand the nomination to a candidate who earns just 35 percent of the vote, and I will help ensure this does not happen." To win, Republicans need our message to appeal to new voters, and we can do this without sacrificing classic conservative principles of individual liberty, low taxes and local control. But we must abandon the issues that are solely made for social media headlines, such as banning books or issuing curriculum fiats to local school districts hundreds of miles away from state capitals. Republicans should re-embrace local control and let parents within their own communities decide what’s right. Too often, we have terrible messengers who are focused on the wrong issues. Instead of pushing deeply unpopular and restrictive nationwide abortion bans, Republicans should recognize that every time they open their mouths to talk about banning abortion, an independent voter joins the Democrats. We need to expand beyond the culture wars that alienate independents, young voters and suburban moms. Republicans must offer an optimistic blueprint to prioritize issues that connect with these voters — addressing the homelessness crisis, imposing fiscal responsibility, reducing inflation, securing our borders, becoming energy independent — all while championing their personal freedoms, before they permanently move away from the Republican Party. No one can stop candidates from entering this race, but candidates with no path to victory must have the discipline to get out. Anyone polling in the low single digits by this winter needs to have the courage to hang it up and head home. Too many other candidates who have entered this race are simply running to be Trump’s vice president. That’s not leadership; that’s weakness. Too many candidates are afraid to confront Trump, surrendering to his attacks. I will have more credibility speaking out against Trump as a non-candidate to help move the conversation toward the future I believe the Republican Party should embrace.
