1 week Ago By Matthew Medsger
The Granite State’s popular former governor says he will not attempt a Senate campaign, putting to rest some of the speculation about who might seek U.S. Sen.
Jeanne Shaheen’s soon-to-be vacant position.After Shaheen’s sudden announcement she would not seek another term serving as the state’s senior senator, the rumors swirled about who might enter an unexpectedly wide open midterm race, and atop almost every list of potential conservative contenders was former Gov. Chris Sununu.
Polling done before Shaheen said she would not pursue another six-year term suggested Sununu could beat her, if he decided to try. Just this week, the four-term Republican executive snagged the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who said that, despite frequent criticisms from Sununu, he supports him “fully.”“He’s been very nice to me over the last year or so, but no, I hope he runs.
I think he’ll win that seat,” Trump told pool reporters.The only problem is that the former governor has no intention of taking the job, presidential endorsement or not.“I was honored that so many folks in New Hampshire, Washington, the president himself, offered a lot of support.
It made me rethink things for a little bit, but at the end of the day it’s just not right for me or my family,” he told WMUR.According to Sununu, his eight years in Concord were “tough” enough, and chasing a seat in the upper chamber of Congress could actually mean 12 more years of public service. That’s not to say the right Republican couldn’t flip the seat, he said, but that person “doesn’t have to be me.
”“I think folks understand that we’re a bipartisan state, we’re a purple state, and we need a bipartisan voice. So I think there is going to be a lot of effort to say, ‘look, we’ve only had this kind of left-wing, woke, progressive voice representing us in Washington.’ So I think there is a huge avenue there for the folks in New Hampshire in ’26 to say, ‘look, it’s time to get that bipartisan voice,'” he said.
Sununu was originally floated as a potential contender for Shaheen’s seat ahead of the 2020 elections, but he instead chose to seek another term as governor. When Sununu announced he would not run a fifth time, he seemed to show some presidential ambitions and indicated in early 2023 that he was considering a White House run. He swore off the idea the following summer.
Who steps in to fill the political void created by Sununu’s absence from the race is an open question. Former U.S.
Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in Congress from 2010 to 2013 but had moved to New Hampshire ahead of a failed run against Shaheen in 2014, noticed Sununu’s statements but didn’t indicate one way or the other if his candidacy calculations have changed.Sununu and his family, Brown said via social media, “are patriots who have made our state a better place.
Looking forward to seeing what’s next for him and working alongside him for New Hampshire’s future.”Shaheen’s decision not to seek reelection, in addition easing the way for Republican candidates, has also cleared a path for up and coming Democratic candidates like four-term Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas, who threw his hat in the ring late last week.“I’m running for Senate because our economy, our democracy, and our way of life are on the line, and New Hampshire deserves a senator who is grounded in the people, places, and values of this state,” Pappas said in a recorded announcement.
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