New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu slammed Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, saying many of the governors get along well, but “no one really cared” about the two Democrats.
During a fireside chat at the Reagan Institute Education Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, moderator Fred Ryan asked Sununu who were the governors that “nobody really cared about.” And Sununu didn’t mince his words.
“I have to be honest, no one cares about Gavin,” Sununu said. “Gavin is just a jerk, excuse me, he just is.”
“He just is. It’s really disappointing,” Sununu said of Newsom. “We all got along for a while, but even the Democrats (they won’t tell you out loud) but behind closed doors they say ‘oh God, look who’s coming.'”
Newsom’s office declined to comment on Sununu’s comments.
Sununu also had choice words for Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York in 2021 after facing multiple allegations of sexual harassment from women who worked for the state over an eight-year period.
“Yes, Andrew Cuomo, a complete moron, no one likes him,” Sununu responded.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said Friday in response to Sununu that “it’s nice to see that they both feel the same way about each other.”
Attacks against California’s Democratic governor are not new. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Newsom have long had an ongoing rivalry, where the two debated live on Fox News in November. Newsom also has no qualms about criticizing other governors. In June, Newsom called DeSantis a “pathetic little man.”
Even on the Democratic side, Newsom faced a mild blow from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in February. Pritzker, boasting about Illinois’ balanced budget, said that “California, for example, has to deal with a $38 billion deficit.”
Sununu, who decided not to serve a fifth term as governor, and Newsom were proposed as names for the 2024 presidential bid, but ultimately did not run. Sununu endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Newsom said he was “hoping for (Biden) to get re-elected.”
Christopher Cadelago contributed to this report.
