Sununu criticizes Democratic governors: Newsom is ‘just an idiot’

Governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu beat Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo on Thursday, saying many of the governors get along well, but “nobody really cared” about the two Democrats.

During a chat at the Reagan Institute on Education Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Sununu was asked by moderator Fred Ryan who were the governors “that no one really cared about.” And Sununu didn’t mince words.

“I have to be honest, nobody cares about Gavin,” Sununu said. “Gavin’s just an idiot – excuse me – he just is.”

“He just is. It’s really disappointing,” Sununu said of Newsom. “We all got along fine for a while, but even the Democrats — they won’t say it out loud — but behind closed doors they’re like ‘oh God, look who’s coming.’”

Newsom’s office declined to comment on Sununu’s comments.

Sununu also chose 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 — complete jacka-s — nobody likes him,” Sununu responded.

Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said Friday in response to Sununu that “it’s good to see they both feel the same way about each other.”

Attacks on California’s Democratic governor are not new. Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis and Newsom have long had an ongoing feud, where the two debated live on Fox News in November. Newsom also isn’t shy about criticizing other governors. In June, Newsom called DeSantis a “pathetic little man.”

Even on the Democratic side, Newsom dealt with a soft punch from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in February. Pritzker, boasting about Illinois’ balanced budget, said that “California, for example, has a $38 billion deficit to deal with.”

Sununu, who decided not to serve a fifth term as governor, and Newsom were both mentioned as names for the 2024 presidential ticket, but ended up not running. Sununu supported former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Newsom said he was “eager to get [Biden] re-elected.”

Christopher Cadelago contributed to this report.