New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced on Monday that he will not be seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
The 48-year-old governor, known for his criticism of former President Donald Trump, shared his decision on CNN and later posted it on social media.
“I will not seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024,” he said. “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 to ensure this does not happen.”
While Sununu was among a small group of Republican officials considering a presidential bid, his withdrawal still leaves a large field for the 2024 GOP White House race.
On the same day, former Vice President Mike Pence officially filed paperwork to declare his campaign for president. Pence joins a field that includes Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.
Additionally, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie plans to launch his campaign on Tuesday evening in New Hampshire, while North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is set to announce his bid on Wednesday in Fargo.
Sununu expressed his intention to endorse the eventual GOP nominee for 2024, but he openly admitted his lack of support for Trump.
During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, he stated, “You obviously have a very large field. I think the former president is doing much better in the polls than folks thought.”
Sununu said he firmly believes that Trump “has no chance of winning” the general election in November 2024. He argued that voting for Trump in the primary would essentially be a vote for Joe Biden.
While not running for president, Sununu indicated that he plans to have a more outspoken role in order to expand the Republican Party. As he embarks on his fourth two-year term as New Hampshire governor, he did not rule out the possibility of a future presidential run.
