Will Chris Sununu run for President or Governor?
“There’s a lot to consider, but it’s not about the fifth term, or who I might run against. For me it’s about whether you can keep doing the job, what it might look like, and what other opportunities might present themselves—whether it’s running for president or the private sector or whatever it is.”
In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announces that he will soon make an announcement about whether he will run for president; considers the historic significance of being the first governor of the Granite State to serve for ten years; gives his enthusiastic support to the budget being proposed by the New Hampshire Senate; and restates his hope that a clearly laid out plan for legalizing marijuana in the state can be achieved by 2024.
As the Republican field of presidential candidates gets bigger every day, Governor Sununu, who has been busy putting together a budget, says,
“My first priority is still New Hampshire, and we still have a lot of work to do here before we figure out next steps nationally.”
Governor Sununu leaves the door open about running for a fifth two-year term as governor, but he admits that he would consider other job possibilities. He asserts that despite the prospect of running against Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and keeping a job that he claims to love might not be enough.
“There’s a lot to consider, but it’s not about the fifth term, or who I might run against. For me it’s about whether you can keep doing the job, what it might look like, and what other opportunities might present themselves—whether it’s running for president or the private sector or whatever it is.”
The New Hampshire Senate Finance Committee has approved a two-year $15 billion dollar plan which will be voted on by the whole Senate on June 6. If the Senate proposal is passed, the House will have to agree to changes made by the Senate, work in a conference committee to resolve the differences, or object to the changes and kill the bill.
With a June 30th deadline for a new budget, that isn’t likely to happen especially with a 202-177 Republican majority in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
Governor Sununu is very supportive of the proposed budget plan because it gives pay raises to state workers and includes big increases for nurses, doctors, and Medicaid payments. While other states are struggling with huge deficits, the Governor is very happy to have a budget surplus.
In the last segment of the interview, the Governor wants to avoid the mistakes made by our neighboring states who rushed legalize marijuana sales. He states that he will only support legalizing marijuana if the legislature takes the time to develop a system which provides protection for kids and has appropriate messaging and marketing.
The Governor doesn’t expect that the details of this system can be worked out until 2024.