'Last chess piece': New Hampshire governor announces official 2024 GOP candidate endorsement

Former South Carolina governor and 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley was endorsed Tuesday New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu, The New York Times reports.

The Times notes Sununu said during an interview last month that "he was looking for someone who could beat" Donald Trump "and who could connect with voters on 'a very retail level.'"

He added, "You always want a fighter — you always want someone who is going to put passion and energy behind it."

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With that, the GOP leader announced during a Manchester, New Hampshire campaign event, "We are all in for Nikki Haley."

Per the report, "Given his popularity and his proven ability to win as a Republican in a state that leans Democratic, Mr. Sununu could help sway the moderate Republicans and independents whom Ms. Haley is counting on to give her a strong showing in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23."

GOP strategist and ex-Trump appointee Matthew Bartlett told the Times, "It is really a big move. It is really the last chess piece to fall in line before Election Day, and it is not to be underestimated."

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The New York Times' full report is here (subscription required).