New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu’s endorsement of Nikki Haley already appears to be paying dividends for the former ambassador to the United Nations. A new poll shows that voters in the Granite State have begun flocking to Haley following the popular governor’s pick.
The surging former South Carolina governor is now within striking distance of Donald Trump with the First-In-The-Nation primary just a month away.
Politico reports:
A CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found that 29% of likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire would vote for Haley, while 44% said they’re backing Trump. It’s the latest good news for Haley out of the Granite State, where she recently received a coveted endorsement from Gov. Chris Sununu, who has pledged to put “110 percent” behind the former South Carolina governor in the run-up to the state’s Jan. 23 primary.
New Hampshire voters who were surveyed also view Haley as the most “likable” and “reasonable” candidate in the primary race, and 53% percent describe her as “prepared,” compared to 54% for Trump.
Sununu’s endorsement and Haley’s rise in the state have been a blow to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has staked his campaign’s success or failure on the first-in-the-nation primary state. But the poll brought a glimmer of good news for Christie — his 10% among New Hampshire voters means he has unofficially qualified for an invite to CNN’s Jan. 21 debate in New Hampshire, according to POLITICO’s analysis.
“A lot of the decisions won’t be made really until the last couple of weeks and in New Hampshire, it’s all about results,” the Republican governor said during an interview alongside Haley that aired on ABC’s “This Week.”
Haley has been accused lately of not running against the former president for the nomination but running with him after her campaign spent millions attacking rival Ron DeSantis rather than the GOP frontrunner.
The Hill wrote that “GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis leaned into rumors Friday that rival Nikki Haley could be asked to join former President Trump’s ticket in 2024, willing the former South Carolina governor to make a decision now.
‘There’s a reason why they spend money against me. Haley and Trump spend money against me,’ DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. ‘He has not spent any money against her and she has not spent any money against him.’
‘She will not answer directly, and she owes you an answer to this: Will she accept a vice presidential nomination from Donald Trump? Yes or no?’ he added.”
The nation’s first primary is set for January 23, 2024.
