Hogan endorses Nikki Haley for GOP nomination

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) endorsed GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley just one day ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Sunday.

“I think Nikki Haley has got all the momentum. And what this race is really all about and is trying to nominate the strongest possible nominee for November,” Hogan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I’m convinced that the momentum is with Nikki Haley.”

Hogan, who has been critical of former President Trump, said Haley could potentially win New Hampshire if she does well in the Iowa caucus on Monday. Haley clinched the second-place spot in a recent NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll released Saturday, but is still 28 points behind the former president.

“You know, I have been saying since last spring when I made the decision not to run that I really did not want to see a multicar 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’s a toss-up with Trump and Biden and DeSantis is losing. So, yes, I think it’s time for the party to get behind Nikki Haley,” Hogan said.

“My friend Chris Christie dropped out of the race in New Hampshire, appreciate his effort. But I believe that Nikki Haley is the strongest chance for us to put put forth our best possible candidate for November,” he added.

Hogan recently stepped down from his leadership position on No Labels, a political organization pushing for a bipartisan ticket. This sparked speculation that he may be launching a third-party bid, but the former governor dismissed the rumors when asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“No, Jake, my it kind of created a whole lot of speculation and then I didn’t mean to do that … my position on No Labels has not changed,” he said. “I’m focused on trying to nominate the strongest possible Republican we can, which is why I’m urging everyone to get behind Nikki Haley.”