John Sununu helped George H.W. Bush bounce back from a disappointing third-place finish in the Iowa caucus to win the New Hampshire primary in 1988. Former Gov. Mitt Romney hopes the old Sununu magic can help him win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
Romney announced on Monday that Sununu, who served as governor of the Granite State and White House chief of staff under the first President Bush, was backing his presidential bid. Sununu, who hosted "Crossfire" on CNN and served as chairman of the New Hampshire state GOP after leaving the Bush White House, will be the chairman of Romneys national steering committee and will advise the campaign on policy. Sununu is the father of John E. Sununu, who served in the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire for a term before losing his seat to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in 2008.
I am deeply appreciative of Governor Sununus friendship and support, Romney said in a statement released on Monday. Governor Sununu is one of the most respected public servants in New Hampshire and he has stood for the values embodied by Granite Staters: hard work, individualism, and fiscal responsibility. His advice and counsel will be important as I work to earn support from voters in the Granite State and work to fix our troubled economy.
Im supporting Governor Romney because he is a solid conservative who is committed to reducing taxes, cutting spending and preserving Americas military strength. Mitt has served as a governor, had a successful career in the private sector, and acquired the executive experience needed to turn around our economy and fix our broken government, said Sununu. He has demonstrated that he is the strongest candidate to take on President Obama in 2012 and restore fiscal sanity to Washington.
Romney placed second in the New Hampshire Republican primary in 2008 but he appears to be in better shape to win the nations first presidential primary in 2012. Polls have shown Romney routing the rest of the Republican presidential candidates in the Granite State.
Sununus endorsement drew a letter from former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah on Monday. While he initially based his campaign in Orlando, Huntsman moved his campaign headquarters to Manchester earlier in the month and now is focusing his campaign efforts in the Granite State.
Over the course of this campaign you have made it abundantly clear that you would endorse a conservative governor -- a laudable criterion, wrote Huntsman. However, I am surprised that you believe Mitt Romney meets that threshold.
Huntsman slammed Romney for opposing tax cuts backed by President George W. Bush and for backing a state health-care law which, Huntsman maintained, became the blueprint for Obamacare. The former Utah governor ripped into Romney for positions he said were against the Second Amendment, inconsistent on abortion and opposed to Ronald Reagan and Sununus old boss George H. W. Bush.
When you look at his past statements, positions and voting record, the idea that Mitt Romney is a principled conservative is an impossible conclusion. It is more than his one term dealing with a liberal Legislature; its a lifetime and record of inconsistent and liberal positions, Huntsman continued. One last thing I almost forgot to mention: While we both served President George H.W. Bush -- you as chief of staff and me as ambassador to Singapore -- Mitt Romney supported and voted for Democratic presidential candidate and potential Bush opponent Paul Tsongas.
While Huntsman has flopped in national polls, he has shown a pulse in New Hampshire polls, though most have him far behind Romney in the Granite State.
Huntsman appeared on Fox News Channels Happening Now program on Monday and weighed in on Sununus endorsement.
The good governor can do whatever he wants, said Huntsman. I just wanted to set the record straight in terms of him jumping behind Governor Romney saying that he was looking for a conservative. I say theres not a whole lot conservative in terms of where Governor Romney has been over the years and I wanted to point out where Ive been in terms of a conservative governor of the state of Utah.
Huntsman also kicked over his plans in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire is the leavening effect in politics, he said. You work the streets you work the precinct you, you work the Town Hall meetings and ultimately people have to hear your message and it has to resonate with those people. If it does, theyll support youweve gone from zero to low double-digits now in New Hampshire and I like exactly where were headed.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
