John E. Sununu declares for Shaheen's Senate seat

Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu released a video Wednesday announcing that he is running again for the Senate, declaring he wants to help repair an institution that has become “loud, angry and dysfunctional.”

Sununu, 61, a Republican, also formerly represented New Hampshire in the U.S. House. He is seeking to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who defeated him in 2008 after he had served a single term in the Senate.

“Maybe you’re surprised to hear that I’m running for the Senate again,” he said in the video.

“I’m a bit surprised myself. Why would anyone subject themselves to everything going on there right now? Well, somebody has to step up and lower the temperature. Somebody has to get things done.”

Capitol Hill is currently locked in a partisan struggle that has led to a federal government shutdown that has lasted three weeks so far.

Also running on the Republican side in next year’s race is Scott Brown, who formerly represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate before moving to New Hampshire and trying, but failing, to unseat Shaheen in 2014.

Brown said in a Jun. 25 post on X that he’s running “to restore common sense, keep our border secure, and fight for our New Hampshire values.”

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., is the leading candidate on the Democratic side.  

Dan LeClair, a member of the Cheshire County Republican Committee, said he favors Brown.

“The Sununu family is like the Kennedys of New Hampshire,” he said. “Do I respect the service that they’ve given to New Hampshire? Yes. Do I think John Sununu is the correct person to run for Senate? No.

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“I really hope Scott Brown prevails in the primary. I think he’s better suited. He is what the extreme Republicans call a RINO [Republican In Name Only] but that just means he’s able to work on both sides of the aisle to make sure he does what’s best for the people of New Hampshire,” LeClair said.

Mohammad Saleh, the Cheshire County Democrats’ chairman, said the actions of Gov. Chris Sununu, John E. Sununu’s brother, were not helpful on issues such as the economy and the state’s relatively high property tax rate.

“People are suffering and we do not expect John Sununu’s policies to be any improvement, so we are definitely going to rally behind our candidates, who have better solutions,” he said.

While John E. Sununu’s opponents may criticize his family, he could benefit from the strong name recognition his last name provides.

His father, John H. Sununu, is a former White House chief of staff and a former New Hampshire governor.

A Sept. 29 University of New Hampshire poll of the Senate primary showed Sununu with 42 percent support, compared to 19 percent for Brown. It also showed Pappas with 6 percentage points more support than Sununu in a general election matchup and a 15 percentage point advantage compared to Brown.

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Rick Green can be reached at 603-352-1234, ext. 1435, or rgreen@keenesentinel.com.

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