MERRIMACK, N.H. — Vivek Ramaswamy called New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu the “face of the establishment” and told reporters an endorsement from him would be the “kiss of death to whichever candidate gets it, and so I will be dodging that.”
It's a counterintuitive strategy from Ramaswamy about a popular governor who has appeared alongside many different presidential hopefuls at their events over the course of the 2024 primary. But Sununu did criticize Ramaswamy's aggressive debate performance last week, saying it showed he "doesn't have the temperament" to be president.
NBC News reached out to Governor Sununu’s office with a request for comment but has not heard back.
The New Hampshire governor, who decided to not seek re-election next year and turned down a presidential bid of his own, is very popular in the Granite State. In 2022, he won his re-election by 15.5 percentage points, and in Aug. 2023, Sununu’s approval rating in New Hampshire stood at 63%, according to a University of New Hampshire poll.
While Sununu has spent time criss-crossing New Hampshire, showing up alongside many different candidates, he has yet to endorse someone. But after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds got behind Ron DeSantis' campaign last week, Sununu may be the biggest early-state prize left for the GOP candidates opposing Donald Trump for the presidential nomination.
Sununu cheekily told reporters back in September “If I make an endorsement, assuming I do, which I fully plan on doing, I’m gonna guess it’s some time between now and the New Hampshire primary.” These comments came after he spent the afternoon talking to voters at the 405 Pub in Laconia with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Most recently, Sununu attended a town hall Chris Christie in Merrimack the night after the third debate. Sununu complimented the former New Jersey governor, saying he “crushed it” on the debate stage.
When reporters asked Christie what a Sununu endorsement would mean to him, Christie said, “I would love to have Chris working with me. Of course it would be great. But it’s not determinative of the race.”
In a stark contrast to what Ramaswamy said days later, Christie added, “No endorsement, no matter how popular you are at the moment, is ever determinative of anything. But do I want Chris to help me? Of course, it’d be dumb not to.”
Sununu also attended one of Nikki Haley’s town halls at the Poor Boy’s Diner in Londonderry, New Hampshire, at the beginning of November. Nikki Haley joked with Sununu saying, “And I’ll start by asking the governor a question. Are you ready to endorse me yet?”
Sununu’s response, “Getting closer every day. Getting closer every day.”
When reporters asked about Sununu’s endorsement timeline in Londonderry after attending Haley’s town hall, he said, “I think probably like most folks around Thanksgiving, I’ll have a talk to my family and talk to friends and neighbors and see what everybody else think and as soon as I figure it out, I’ll let you guys know.”
DeSantis also joined Jack Heath on the Pulse of New Hampshire radio show with Sununu recently, where Sununu hinted that his presidential endorsement will probably be either a current or former governor.
Sununu also said “not to put too much stock” in his endorsement adding, “this is New Hampshire, everyone makes their decision on their own.”
