- Chris Sununu's endorsement of Nikki Haley seemingly boosted her in NH despite her loss to Trump in the state's primary.
- But going forward, she'll need more institutional support to remain viable as a candidate.
When New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu threw his support behind former UN ambassador Nikki Haley's presidential bid last month, it was a huge coup for her campaign.
Haley, who had been campaigning vigorously across New Hampshire for months, now had the backing of a popular Republican governor who had credibility with many of the state's moderates. And with Haley's polling numbers on the rise in New Hampshire in the weeks leading up to the primary, it seemed as if more gubernatorial endorsements would follow.
But since Sununu's endorsement, the only other sitting GOP governor to back Haley's campaign has been Phil Scott of Vermont. Vermont may be a Super Tuesday state, but has just 17 of the hundreds of delegates up that day, and remains a deep blue state in presidential elections.
South Carolina is her home state, but the new management is backing Trump
Haley will surely relish campaigning in her home state of South Carolina, where she'll undoubtedly have to perform very strongly to remain viable past that Feb. 24 contest.
But she'll face a contingent of Republicans — including Gov. Henry McMaster — who support former President Donald Trump. And McMaster can throw his weight behind state legislators and other state GOP leaders to campaign fervently for the former president.
Even with South Carolina being a best-case scenario for her, though, what governor among the Super Tuesday states is ready to back Haley after her showing in New Hampshire, which was not a blowout loss but also not a victory?
In recent polling, Trump had a huge edge among GOP voters in many of the Super Tuesday states.
About Super Tuesday
Haley's gubernatorial dilemma is her biggest obstacle: she'll need more governors to throw their support behind her campaign for her to have a chance at going up against the Trump juggernaut over the next few weeks.
The Nevada caucuses will be held on February 8, and the state's GOP governor, Joe Lombardo, supports Trump.
On Super Tuesday on March 5, Haley can count on Gov. Scott of Vermont for his support.
Trump, on the other hand, has a deeper rolodex. According to the 538 endorsement tracker, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy have all backed Trump. Those are heavy-hitting red states with a lot of sway compared to Vermont.
GOP governors of Super Tuesday states that have not yet endorsed include Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. Many of them won their job with Trump's backing, and it'll be a critical test of the Haley campaign to see if she can woo any of them to her side.
Don't underestimate institutional support
With Trump's victory in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, more gubernatorial support will be absolutely crucial for Haley if she's to have success in any upcoming primaries.
Here's why it could make or break Haley's campaign, even if she runs a masterful one-on-one race against Trump.
A governor who backs a presidential candidate that wins the party nomination and the general election stands to benefit in a major way from the decision, from a potential Cabinet post or ambassadorship to federal dollars for significant statewide projects.
But the more immediate implications can be a boon for the presidential candidate. A governor can stump with a White House aspirant across the state to win over voters, which can help virtual unknowns soar to the top of polling. And a governor's endorsement often triggers endorsements from state legislators and city and town officials, giving a presidential candidate visibility.
Sununu has been by Haley's side since he first backed her, and he used their appearances to contrast her with Trump, whom the New Hampshire governor thinks is a bad choice to be the party's standard bearer once again.
It remains to be seen if she can convince other GOP governors of that.