Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said “no question” Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
“Oh, Kamala definitely won the debate,” Mr. Sununu of New Hampshire said on CNN Wednesday. “There’s no question about that.”
“So the question is, what does it mean, right?” he said. “And it’s not just what does it mean to everybody? What’s [it going to do for the] 10% of swing voters?”
He said swing voters “want results [and are] results driven.”
“It’s the cost of living, it’s the border, it’s public safety, those types of issues, who’s going to be the change agent to make that better in their lives,” he said.
The governor said there were still “misses” from both candidates.
“Neither of them really connected empathetically,” he said.
Mr. Sununu supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her race for the Republican presidential nomination and often criticized Mr. Trump. After Ms. Haley dropped out, he backed the former president.
Mr. Sununu praised Ms. Harris for remaining confident and pointedly attacking Mr. Trump in the last seconds of her answers.
“It was a very effective measure, and I give her a lot of credit on that,” he said. “ It kept him on the defensive, to be sure, and it’s ultimately, definitely, stylistically why she ultimately won the debate.”
He said Mr. Trump “missed his marks” and should’ve talked about price controls and the cost of living.
“I think he was trying to be very disciplined, and he was for a while. He was very disciplined on that. But she knew that, and she took advantage. And that is why she kept turning to him. She kept jabbing at him, knowing that he was told do your best to stay in your lane and keep composed,” he said.
“I think he actually had a decent amount of composure, considering what we have seen in the past. But the dog line and the cats line, those moments are not going to be forgotten,” he said. “They’re just going to make social media memes. That doesn’t help him at all.”
He said the debate would move the needle only “a bit.”
He suggested the Trump campaign continue to talk about how much better off Americans were four years ago and that “there was clearly more peace” when he was in office.
“He didn’t get rattled on the international stage as president,” he said. “So that’s a hard argument to make. So I think he actually has to keep going back to the international issues.”
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.