Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) endorsed Nikki Haley on Sunday as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

Why it matters: Hogan is the latest prominent GOP figure to back the former UN ambassador as she vies to be the No. 1 alternative to former President Trump heading into the Iowa caucuses.

What he's saying: "I think Nikki Haley's got all the momentum, and what this race is really all about is to try to nominate the strongest possible nominee for November," Hogan said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

• "I'm convinced that the momentum is with Nikki Haley, that she has the potential of moving into second place — although it be at a distant second place — which gives her momentum heading into New Hampshire where she's only seven points down, and I think that's a real possibility," he said.

The Maryland Republican said he thinks "it's time for the party to get behind" the former South Carolina governor.

• "My friend Chris Christie dropped out of the race in New Hampshire. I appreciate his effort, but I believe that Nikki Haley is the strongest chance for us to put forth our best possible candidate for November," he added.

Flashback: Last month, Hogan stepped down as co-chair of No Labels, which drew speculation about whether he was planning for a White House bid.

• Hogan had also signaled he might be moving toward a third-party presidential bid in an ad from November 2023.

However, Hogan on Sunday denied that his decision to step down stemmed from exploring a 2024 presidential run on the No Labels ticket.

• "No ... it kind of created a whole lot of speculation, and I didn't mean to do that ... my position on No Labels has not changed. I'm focused on trying to nominate the strongest possible Republican we can, which is why I'm urging everyone to get behind Nikki Haley," he said.

Go deeper: Exclusive: Hogan drops new ad as he weighs third-party bid for president