Kimball: Mitt is 'unequivocal front-runner' in N.H.

New Hampshire GOP chairman Jack Kimball dubbed Mitt Romney “the unequivocal front-runner” in the Granite State's presidential primary, one of the strongest forecasts he's offered to date for the former Massachusetts governor.


“I do think he’s certainly right now the unequivocal front-runner in our state,” Kimball said in an interview Friday on C-SPAN’s "Newsmakers," which is set to air Sunday

Asked if New Hampshire is a must-win for Romney, Kimball called it “crucially important.”

“He has to do well here,” he Kimball said.

While he named Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain as candidates who all have growth potential, he notably left Jon Huntsman off his list. When asked, Kimball said he isn't sure if the outgoing U.S. Ambassador to China can mount a credible bid after serving in the Obama administration.

“Hard to tell," Kimball said. "I don’t know him very well. I’ve never met him. Hard for me to personally evaluate. There’s not been a lot of talk, at least recently, in the state so far about this.The others I’ve mentioned, I’ve met them all and I’ve seen them all interacting.”

The entire interview airs Sunday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on C-SPAN.