Speaking at the annual Jewish coalition leadership conference on Saturday (November 19), New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu told attendees the GOP needs to stop choosing “unelectable” candidates in the primaries.
Sununu’s comments at the Las Vegas event come after a disappointing midterm election, where Republicans failed to obtain a majority in the Senate and only achieved a majority in the House with a measly margin.
Sununu expressed that “candidate quality matters,” adding that the GOP learned that the “tough way.”
The New Hampshire Governor then relayed his tongue-in-cheek “great policy for Republicans,” which would be to “stop supporting crazy, unelectable candidates” during the primaries. He noted his policy would include “getting behind winners that can close the deal in November.”
Republicans were expected to benefit from a red wave that never materialized.
Since the dismal results, Sununu hasn’t held the criticism of his own party back. Instead, the New Hampshire Governor has blamed the results on Republican Senators Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Rick Scott (Fla.) and their comments on abortion and social security.
Last week, Sununu noted these comments were likely what hurt Republicans in the midterm elections.
However, the remarks he made on Saturday agree with what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said about Republicans’ chances in the midterms when he pointed to “candidate quality” resulting in the GOP losing races they would have won.
McConnell’s remarks, made in August, were aimed at former President Donald Trump’s selection of candidates.
