What Sununu Says About South Carolina and Dems Voting in GOP Primary Has People Talking

In the wake of former President Donald Trump winning in New Hampshire by the biggest vote total ever for a primary candidate, on the heels of his decisive win in Iowa, some, like GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel, said that she didn't see a path forward for his remaining challenger, Nikki Haley.

“We have never had a nominee in our party that has won without winning either Iowa or New Hampshire,” McDaniel told Fox News.
“I’m looking at the math and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley. I think she’s run a great campaign,” McDaniel went on.
“There is a message that’s coming out from the voters, which is very clear: We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump.”

As we reported earlier, you even had some trying to put forth a resolution to declare Trump the presumptive nominee.

I don't think that's the answer, even if they might think that because you don't want to cut off anyone's right to vote -- that's something the Democrats are doing, although I get the desire to want to consolidate and start turning the money to fighting Biden. The normal process will play out soon enough, we'll certainly see after South Carolina where things stand.

But then, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu got ticked off at McDaniel and declared on "The Pulse of New Hampshire" radio show that the South Carolina primary is "even more open" than #FITN. (First in The Nation - New Hampshire).

On @thepulseofnh this AM, @GovChrisSununu notes that SC primary is "even more open" than #FITN.
"In South Carolina, if you're a Democrat, you can just walk in the door and vote. So there is a lot of opportunity there" for @NikkiHaley in #SouthCarolinaPrimary @NHGOP
— NH Journal (@NewHampJournal) January 25, 2024

"In South Carolina, if you're a Democrat, you can just walk in the door and vote. So there is a lot of opportunity there" for Nikki Haley, he said. He also called McDaniel "an idiot, for taking sides after just two states," claiming without evidence that "Donald Trump must have put the fear of God in her."

Wow, he's inviting Democrats to come in and skew the primary. That's not exactly a vote of confidence for your candidate when you are inviting members of another party to boost Haley's numbers. We saw that in New Hampshire's results, where most of her voters were not registered Republicans. The majority in the GOP primary weren't registered Republicans. Yet Trump still won, even with that.

Those Democrats who voted for Haley will then flip back in the general and vote for Biden, it's playing into the Democrats' effort to extend the primary and waste the Republican money.

But, Haley is still down 30 points in South Carolina.

CNN Exit Polls Show the Stunning Difference Between Who Voted for Trump and Haley in 'GOP' Primary

What Sununu said about Democrats is also--understandably--getting a lot of raised eyebrows.

"Republican" Governor once again calls on Democrats to vote for Nikki Haley in a Republican Primary! https://t.co/s0LMlqIPb8
— Karoline Leavitt (@kleavittnh) January 25, 2024

Now @GovChrisSununu is calling @GOPChairwoman an "idiot" because he cannot articulate a path for @NikkiHaley without admitting they are using Biden voters to drain resources in races she cannot win.

If the electorate is the same in South Carolina, she still gets smoked by 15.8%. https://t.co/V53s5tSrKi
— Rich Baris The People's Pundit (@Peoples_Pundit) January 25, 2024

Damn, he makes democrats look less sleazy . . . not an easy feat . . . https://t.co/5zGZDYknfX
— Reeve Swainston, Esq. (@ReeveSwainston) January 25, 2024