New Hampshire Gov. Sununu argues Trump will have 'a huge problem in November' despite GOP primary victory
Despite Trump’s decisive win in the New Hampshire GOP primary last night, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu argued that results from the primary show that the former president will “have a huge problem” in the November general election.
“Guys, this is all about the general election. We need winners," Sununu, who has endorsed Haley, said in an interview on “Fox and Friends.” "I want to win Senate seats and House seats and governorships. I want my candidate for president to win by double digits.”
Co-host Brian Kilmeade noted that Trump beat Haley by double digits in the Iowa caucuses last week and the New Hampshire primary last night.
“One of the best candidates that I’ve seen in a while if you look at a resume who’s beaten [Haley] by 12 [points in the New Hampshire GOP primary] and you think he’s the weakest candidate?” Kilmeade asked Sununu.
“In the general election against Biden, of course,” Sununu replied.
The New Hampshire governor went on to point out that Trump lost to Biden in 2020 and the candidates backed by the former president didn’t perform well in the 2022 midterms.
Kilmeade asked Sununu whether he thinks moderates and independents will get behind Haley in a general election, to which he replied, “Obviously can, yeah.”
“Do you can think that she could ever win over MAGA Republicans over Donald Trump?” Kilmeade then asked.
“Over Donald Trump? Well, look, no — MAGA and Donald Trump, that’s the brand, right? And that’s fine, and he’s got that core, that 30, 40%, whatever it is. When you go forward again, she wasn’t even considered in the race two months ago,” Sununu said. “So this is really just getting started. And that’s why New Hampshire is the first in the nation primary. You don’t end and call it a race, you know, when when somebody is gaining momentum.”
Although Trump beat Haley in the New Hampshire GOP primary last night, his performance with self-identified “moderates” spelled a warning sign for him.
NBC News exit polling found that although Trump won self-identified Republicans by 49 points, he lost independents by 24 points. Self-identified moderates, who make up 29% of the electorate, voted for Haley by an overwhelming margin of 51 points compared to Trump.
The former president won conservatives by 42 points.
United Auto Workers union expected to endorse Biden
The United Auto Workers union is expected to endorse Biden as early as today, according to three people familiar with the decision.
Biden will address UAW members at their conference in Washington, D.C., this afternoon, where the endorsement of his 2024 bid will likely come, the sources said.
Last fall, Biden became the first president to join a picket line when he visited autoworkers outside Detroit who were striking for higher wages and cost-of-living increases.
Yesterday, Biden and former President Donald Trump both picked up wins in the New Hampshire primaries, victories that could mark the quick end of the primary process and the beginning of the general election.
The UAW endorsement could carry significant political implications because of the influence on voters in Michigan, a critical battleground in the 2024 election. Biden narrowly won the state last cycle.
The union endorsed Biden's re-election bid today at its National “Stand Up For Our Future” Conference in Washington, D.C.
"If our endorsements must be earned, Joe Biden has earned it," said UAW President Shawn Fain, adding that Biden "bet on the American worker, and Trump blamed the American worker."
Biden accepted the endorsement. “All anyone wants is just a fair shot," he said. "That’s what my economic plan is all about. That’s what the UAW is all about. That’s what your battle has been about.”
The union's endorsement could be key in the battleground state of Michigan, which narrowly went for Biden in 2020 after backing Trump by a razor-thin margin in 2016.
Haley launches campaign ads in South Carolina
Fresh off the heels of the New Hampshire primary, Haley’s campaign has released two new TV ads in South Carolina, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.
“Biden? Too old. Trump? Too much chaos. A rematch no one wants," a narrator says in one of the ads. "There’s a better choice for a better America. Her story started right here. America’s youngest governor, a conservative Republican. And boy, did she deliver. Nikki Haley will cut taxes, close the border and defeat the Chinese communist threat. America’s new chapter. Strong and proud."
The ad has so far aired in the Savannah, Georgia, media market, which also covers part of South Carolina.
The second ad is a 15-second spot highlighting her record as a former governor of South Carolina.
"Nikki Haley delivered thousands of jobs, lower taxes, tough immigration laws," a narrator says. "Same old Biden and Trump? Or new conservative leadership?"
Steve Kornacki breaks down the results of the New Hampshire primary.
Pro-Haley super PAC plans for a 'long-term battle'
The Haley-aligned super PAC SFA Fund's lead strategist, Mark Harris, made clear in a call with reporters this morning that both the campaign and the super PAC are “prepared for a long-term battle.”
Harris said the super PAC is planning a multimillion-dollar ad buy in South Carolina in the next couple of days to start off a month of boosting Haley on all platforms in hopes she can grow conservative and Republican support in next month’s primary in her home state.
Beyond South Carolina, Harris also said they see Michigan as having “good demographics for us” and then listed six Super Tuesday states they think she can do well in: California, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine.
When asked by NBC if he sees moving forward as contingent on success in South Carolina, Harris just said they “need to continue to see growth,” and indicated that has to come mainly from the right rather than from more independents.
“We have to do better with Republicans. We have to do better with conservatives,” he said. “We definitely have to grow in those key demographics to provide us a realistic path to the nomination.”
Harris repeatedly called Haley the “insurgent” and “outsider” candidate — noting that “all of the insiders are for Trump.”
Biden campaign: Trump has 'all but locked up' the nomination
The Biden campaign told reporters this morning that the Republican primary fight is over — as far as they see it at least.
"Donald Trump has all but locked up the Republican nomination," said Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the campaign manager. "It’ll be a choice between two visions for this country that couldn’t be more different."
Biden's campaign has long seen the binary choice between the two men as one that will ultimately favor them with voters, arguing that the president's sagging poll numbers will rebound when people begin to realize Trump is the only Republican option.
Here’s where the candidates will be today
Biden
- 1:30 p.m. — Delivers remarks at a political event at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C.
Haley
- 7 p,m. — First-in-the-South rally in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- 2 p.m. — University of Alabama event in Tuscaloosa.
- 8 p.m. — Private reception in Birmingham, Alabama.
Haley campaign insists the race isn't over after second-place finish in N.H.
The Haley campaign fired back on Trump’s focus on her during his speech in New Hampshire last night, with a statement pushing the narrative that Trump winning “barely … half of the vote” in two states does not mean that the race is over.
“Two states have now voted in the presidential race, and Donald Trump barely received half of the vote — not exactly a ringing endorsement for a former president demanding a coronation,” said Haley's communications director, Nachama Soloveichik. “His angry rant was filled with grievances and offered the American people nothing about his vision for our country’s future. This is why so many voters want to move on from Trump’s chaos and are rallying to Nikki Haley’s new generation of conservative leadership.”
In her speech, Haley congratulated Trump on his victory, saying he “earned it,” but vowed to stay in the race, saying her campaign is “just getting started.”
New Hampshire primary takeaways: Trump demands the GOP unify, papering over his vulnerabilities
Biden and Trump scored decisive victories yesterday in New Hampshire’s primaries, with both aiming to move confidently into general election mode.
Even so, questions remain, though there are fewer for Democrats. A Biden write-in campaign — he skipped New Hampshire in a conflict over the 2024 primary order — easily defeated an energetic and well-funded challenge from Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota.
On the Republican side, Haley vowed to continue, much to the chagrin of Trump and his allies. She’s going forward with a sharp focus on South Carolina, where she used to be governor — but where Trump is seen as the front-runner.
Here are the biggest takeaways from New Hampshire primary night — from Trump and the future of the Republican Party to the declining influence of local endorsements and more.