New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday defended former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley before the state's Republican presidential primary, saying she is "the only candidate that's surging."
Sununu, appearing on Newsmax's "National Report," was asked about former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's hot-mic remark that Haley will "get smoked" in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, a comment Christie made just before announcing that he was ending his campaign.
"Obviously this is a raw moment for Chris. He put a lot into this," Sununu said. "He was about to get out of the race. I think the day before, he said. 'I'm not getting out' … 24 hours later, he was getting out of the race. He's saying Nikki's going to get smoked. He's the one that had just gotten smoked."
Sununu later said that "you've got to earn" a victory in the New Hampshire primary, saying that "Nikki is going to be out there earning every single vote."
"You take nothing for granted," Sununu said. "You don't assume all those voters are just going to come to Nikki Haley. There's an opportunity for that. But you got to go earn it. You got to go talk to folks on the ground. She's the only one doing that in New Hampshire."
When asked about Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who recently reiterated that he would not support Haley, Sununu said, "What does Rand Paul mean? Nothing.
"I'm sorry, but nobody cares what Rand thinks in this race. This race is in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina. She's the only candidate that's surging … we've made it effectively a one-on-one race at this point between Nikki and Donald Trump.
"So, with all due respect to the senator … maybe when the U.S. Senate actually starts doing something and actually starts delivering some results, they can stand on a soapbox and think that their words matter, but until then, sorry, Rand Paul, nobody cares."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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