Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sunday and endorsed Nikki Haley, just one day before Iowa’s caucuses.
“Who do you want to win tomorrow?” Host Jake Tapper asked Hogan, referencing the Iowa caucuses.
Hogan explained he believes it’s clear Former President Donald Trump will win the caucuses. “There’s not much hope of anyone overtaking him. I think that’s not a big surprise,” he added.
He noted how in the past, the nominee who won the Republican Iowa caucuses didn’t become the party’s nominee. He argued the second-place spot is crucial.
“I’m convinced the momentum is with Nikki Haley,” he told CNN. “She has the potential of moving into second place, although a distant second place.”
Since I decided not to run for president, I’ve been saying that we don’t want to see a multi-car pile-up that would just enable Donald Trump. We want to have the strongest possible nominee in November, and that’s @NikkiHaley. It’s time for the party to get behind her so we can… pic.twitter.com/hivhqLEM4X
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) January 14, 2024
Hogan also noted the support of the candidate in New Hampshire and the momentum expected in her home state.
“Was that an endorsement?” Tapper asked the former governor, “Would you like her to get the nomination?”
“I think we want to have the strongest possible nominee in November. Polls show that that is Nikki Haley,” he said on the broadcast. “Yes, I think it is time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley.”
“I believe that Nikki Haley is the strongest chance for us to put forth our best possible candidate for November,” he said after mentioning former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who dropped out of the race on Wednesday.
A recent poll from Selzer & Co. showed 20 percent of Republican caucus-goers have Haley as their first choice for president, compared to Donald Trump’s 48 percent, according to the De Moines Register. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sits in third place in the poll.
“The deep data on [Haley] suggest she looks stronger in the poll than she could on caucus night,” said J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll, according to the De Moines Register. Haley lacks enthusiasm from voters, according to the poll. (RELATED: Fox News Host Tells Nikki Haley Point-Blank ‘Average’ GOP Voters Don’t Have An ‘Appetite’ For Her Campaign).
Hogan revealed on the broadcast he chose not to run in the upcoming election because he “didn’t want to see multi-car pileup.” referencing the numerous GOP members facing Trump.