Sununu to conservatives: Hold your nose in 2016 and vote for GOP nominee -- unless it's Rand Paul

Former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu has a message for conservatives: Hold your nose in 2016 and vote for the Republican nominee – unless it’s Rand Paul.

Appearing on Fox News Radio, Sununu was asked by host John Gibson to “please speak to those people who call me all the time and say, “Hey, if that guy is the nominee, I’m not voting.’ “

“My message to them is, that’s a sign of personal stupidity,” Sununu replied. “That kind of stupidity in 2012 gave us Barack Obama. If you think that’s smart, then you really are a dumb bozo…”

“This idea that some particular single issue disqualifies any of our good candidates is ridiculous and to be very blunt about it, I’m tired of stupid, Republican conservatives – or stupid conservatives, they may not even have a party label,” he said. “I’m tired of stupid conservatives giving Democrats the election.”

Sununu then mentioned one “exception:” Rand Paul.

“Frankly, I cannot imagine Rand Paul as commander in chief,” Sununu said. The former GOP state chair criticised Paul’s national security position as “to the left of” the president and said Paul’s comment “accusing strong national security Republicans of creating ISIS” was "the last straw.”

“How can you look at what he has said and not say, ‘Oh my God, there’s a guy who’s opposed to peace through strength?’ ” Sununu asked.