New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) on Thursday said he plans to make a decision on whether to get into the GOP’s 2024 presidential race “by late June at the latest.”
“I’ll probably make a decision in the next month or so, just because that’s the logistics timing that a candidate would need to really make sure that they meet all the markers, get ballot access and make sure that they can run a truly competitive race,” Sununu told CBS News’s Robert Costa.
Pressed further on his timeline, Sununu said the announcement would be “by late June at the latest.”
“You just you can’t really go beyond late June, because [of] ballot ballot access itself, or making sure you have enough small-donation donors, which is going to be a metric for getting on the debate stage,” the governor said on CBS’s “America Decides.”
If Sununu does choose to launch a bid, he’ll join former President Trump and a handful of other already-declared candidates, and could face other rumored possible entrants such as Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence, who has also set June as his timeline for a 2024 decision.
Sununu said the early debate stages will be “the biggest filter” for candidates, and took a swipe at Trump, who has suggested he could skip the first debates.
“You cannot stand in front of America and say, ‘I’m a fighter, but I’m going to wimp out and not get on a debate stage and engage in the fight, engage in the … debate that has to happen on issues and what you’re about,” Sununu said.
“I think he’s going to be there. I think this is a lot of talk, myself, and the message is just really clear, you know: Cowboy up, get in the saddle, show us what you got.”
Costa asked Sununu whether he’s “leaning in or out” of joining the 2024 race for the White House.
“I don’t believe in being coy. I really don’t,” he responded. “But I’m kind of, I’m kind of all over the place a little bit, in that I’m talking to a lot of folks.”
“There’s a lot of folks that want me to get in,” he added. “My mission right now is, I’m a team player.”