New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has a stern message for some of the GOP presidential contenders who failed to qualify for the first debate: it may be time to drop out of the race.
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Sununu emphasized, "If you don't make the first couple of debates, then you probably have to have a tough conversation and get out of the race."
The Republican National Committee (RNC) set thresholds for candidates to qualify for the first debate, and nearly half a dozen GOP White House hopefuls did not meet these requirements. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, for example, suspended his campaign after failing to make the stage.
The next debate, hosted by FOX Business, is scheduled for September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. So far, seven candidates have reached the RNC's polling and donor thresholds: former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former President Donald Trump.
Governor Sununu, who considered running for President himself before deciding against it in June, predicts a smaller field by the end of the year, just before the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, the first two contests in the Republican nominating calendar. He highlighted, "The field is already winnowing. I think by the time you get to the end of December, you'll have five or six different candidates going into Iowa, maybe three or four coming into New Hampshire. If that's the case, a huge opportunity for the Republican Party."
Former Representative Will Hurd of Texas, who missed the first debate and is working to meet the qualifying criteria for the second one, has received praise from Governor Sununu. Hurd stated, "We're working hard to meet those requirements."
When asked about his next steps if he doesn't make the upcoming debates, Hurd responded, "I think the governor of New Hampshire has said it best. If you don't have momentum going into the winter, then it's time to start consolidating. And I think that's wise advice. My focus right now is to hit those requirements to be on that second debate stage, and then we'll go from there."
With just over four months until the first votes in the GOP presidential nominating race, former President Donald Trump remains the clear front-runner in the latest polls. He enjoys between 50% and 60% support in most national surveys, significantly ahead of the rest of the field. While Trump's lead in polls in Iowa and New Hampshire is smaller, it is still formidable.
Governor Sununu believes that the race in his home state of New Hampshire is "wide open and will stay wide open for quite a while." He argues, "If I'm Donald Trump - a former incumbent President - and I'm barely getting 50% of my own Republican Party, that's a problem. That's some of the worst poll numbers of any incumbent or former President in history who's trying to make another run at the office. So, a huge opportunity for the Republican Party to galvanize, find another one of these candidates."
Sununu has stated that he will endorse one of the Republican presidential candidates ahead of the New Hampshire primary. He has been collaborating with many of the GOP contenders as they campaign in the Granite State.
When asked about his endorsement, the governor responded, "I've got no idea who I would endorse, and I don't think my endorsement means a whole lot. Frankly, I think it's a little overrated. In a place like New Hampshire, people make their decision and their minds up on their own. They're really engaged with the candidates. They ask the right questions." However, Sununu added, "when someone strikes my fancy... I'll let everybody know."
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