New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu won't seek reelection in 2024

New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who considered but decided against runs for president and the U.S. Senate, said Wednesday he will not seek reelection in 2024.

Sununu, 48, who has been governor since 2017, said in an email that he will not seek a fifth, two-year term.

“This was no easy decision as I truly love serving as Governor," he stated.

“Public service should never be a career, and the time is right for another Republican to lead our great state.”

Sununu did not say what his immediate plans would be and did not endorse anyone to succeed him. He said he reached his decision after discussions with his wife, Valerie, and his children.

Shortly after his announcement, Chuck Morse, former Republican president of the New Hampshire Senate and a former U.S. Senate candidate, announced his campaign for governor.

He said in a statement that he’s proud to have worked with Sununu “to put together a conservative, pro-jobs, pro-growth, family first economic agenda that has made New Hampshire the envy of New England and the nation. We lead the nation in economic freedom. We have the lowest poverty rate in the nation and are the number one state for taxpayer return on investment.”

Two Democrats, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, have also announced their candidacies for the job.

Sununu, a popular governor who made the rounds on national talk shows this year, announced in June that he will not seek the presidency in 2024. He argued that Republican candidates with “no path to victory must have the courage to get out” of their party’s increasingly crowded primary to stop former President Donald Trump.

Sununu has said he would endorse the GOP’s ultimate nominee in 2024, but argued in the op-ed that Republican must embrace a “course correction” away from Trump.

He said he planned to speak with “a little more of an unleashed voice” to make the Republican Party bigger.