Sununu says Haley’s answer on the Civil War was a ‘mistake’

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said Sunday that GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s failure to mention slavery in her answer on the cause of the Civil War was a “mistake.”

Sununu, who has endorsed Haley in the GOP primary, told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” that while Haley’s initial answer at an event last week was a “mistake,” she cleaned up her remarks quickly and made it a “non-issue.”

“Well, she cleared it up quickly, right,” he told Bash when asked if Haley’s initial response was a mistake. “Obviously, if something needs to be cleared up a bit, you know, you wish you had said it a little differently the first time, but it was quickly cleared up.”

“I think she was talking more to the freedoms and liberties that we want for every American and the lessons that come out of that going forward,” he added, noting that Haley “skipped over the obvious” answer.

When Bash pressed him further on whether Haley made a mistake in that initial answer, Sununu admitted that she had and again reiterated that she clarified her answer shortly after.

Haley faced backlash from both sides of the aisle last week over the gaffe. Instead of mentioning slavery, she said the cause of the Civil War was about “how government was going to run.” She quickly attempted to walk back the remarks the following day, saying that “of course the Civil War was about slavery.”

Her comments came as she has surged for weeks in the state of New Hampshire. According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ primary polling average, former President Trump is leading Haley by 17 points in New Hampshire.