New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu believes that supporters of former presidential candidate Nikki Haley will ultimately back Donald Trump in the November election, despite Haley's earlier challenge to Trump in the GOP primary.
In a recent interview on the 'Brian Kilmeade Show', New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu discussed the significance of the abortion issue in November and predicted that former President Donald Trump would ultimately secure the support of Nikki Haley's supporters in the presidential election.
Former South Carolina Governor Haley launched her presidential campaign in February 2023, becoming the first major candidate to challenge Trump, who had announced his candidacy three months earlier. She emerged as Trump's final rival, engaging in a two-candidate showdown from the New Hampshire primary in late January through Super Tuesday in early March.
However, Haley suspended her White House campaign on March 6, one day after Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday. Since then, she has declined to endorse Trump, stating that it is up to him "to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him."
Despite her decision not to endorse Trump, Haley continues to garner votes in Republican primaries, even though she is no longer in the race. She won nearly 22% of the vote in Indiana's GOP primary, indicating potential challenges for Trump in the general election rematch with President Biden.
During her White House bid, Haley advocated for a muscular U.S. foreign policy, often clashing with Trump's America First agenda of keeping the nation out of international entanglements. However, Governor Sununu believes that these policy differences will not prevent Haley's supporters from backing Trump in November.
"I think a lot of the people that originally supported Nikki Haley will actually support President Trump," Sununu said. "I think they might have supported her for a variety of reasons, but I think ultimately they want to win."
Sununu also spoke about the significance of the abortion issue in the upcoming election, highlighting the potential impact of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"I think the abortion issue is going to be a big issue in November," he said. "I think it's going to be a big issue in New Hampshire. I think it's going to be a big issue in the suburbs of America."
Sununu's comments underscore the complexities of the upcoming presidential election and the potential challenges Trump faces in uniting the Republican base. While Haley's supporters may have initially backed her for different reasons, Sununu believes they will ultimately prioritize supporting the presumptive GOP nominee in order to secure victory in November.
