Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday endorsed Nikki Haley in the presidential race the day before the Iowa caucuses.
Hogan said he thinks it’s “pretty clear” that former President Donald Trump will win Iowa, but that “Nikki Haley has all of the momentum” to make her a strong nominee in November.
“What this race is all about is to try to nominate the strongest possible nominee for November,” Hogan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I’m convinced the momentum is with Nikki Haley,” he added, pointing to a path for Haley to get “a distant second” in Iowa, possibly win New Hampshire and then have momentum going into her home state of South Carolina.
Pressed by CNN’s Jake Tapper to clarify whether he was endorsing Haley, Hogan replied, “I really did not want to see a multi-car pile-up that would just enable Donald Trump.”
“I think we want to have the strongest possible nominee in November. Polls show that that is Nikki Haley. That she’s 17 points ahead of Joe Biden. And it is a tossup with Trump and Biden,” Hogan said. “Yes, it is time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley.”
A source close to Hogan said the Haley team reached out to a representative for Hogan recently and asked him to hold off on endorsing until after the Iowa caucuses.
Hogan said he appreciates the efforts former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whom he considers a friend, put into his campaign before dropping out on Wednesday.
“But I think Nikki Haley is our chance to put forward the best possible candidate for November,” he continued.
Asked about his decision to step down from leadership of the group No Labels, which is considering launching a third-party bid, Hogan brushed off speculation that he was considering getting into the race on their ticket.
“I’m focused on trying to nominee the strongest possible Republican, which is why I’m urging everyone to get behind Nikki Haley,” he said.
