John E. Sununu launches NH campaign for US Senate seat, seeks Trump meeting

His entry comes as Republicans fear another federal election loss as Democrats hold strong polling advantage.

Former US Sen. John E. Sununu (R-NH) today launched his bid to reclaim his title as New Hampshire senator. The seat is currently held by outgoing Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaneen, to whom Sununu lost his reelection bid in 2008. It’s been reported that Sununu plans to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss the race.

Sununu has been out of elected office entirely since losing to Shaheen. His entry into the race is seen as a last-ditch effort for Republicans to end Democrats’ firm grip on New Hampshire’s federal seats, which they have held since 2017.

Sununu launched his campaign with a video addressing the gap, and he promises to maintain Social Security and Medicare, though not Medicaid. 

“It’s been a while since you elected me to serve New Hampshire,” Sununu said while reintroducing himself to the state. “Maybe you’re surprised to hear I’m running for the Senate again. I’m a bit surprised myself.”

At least one senior New Hampshire strategist, who chose to remain anonymous, wasn’t impressed.

“Sununu video is terrible. It made me sleepy to watch it…. It’s like they dusted him off, plugged him back in, and forgot to update the software from 2008,” they said.

POLITICO cited senior White House officials speaking on background that Sununu was confirmed to meet with Trump around the time of his announcement, seemingly angling for a presidential endorsement over the other another already-announced Republican contender for the seat, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.

The move to potentially garner Trump’s endorsement and kiss the ring would be a surprise to some New Hampshire political insiders, as the Sununu political dynasty has seldom sought permission from Trump in his political maneuvers. The ex-senator’s brother Chris Sununu frequently sparred with the president while serving as governor from 2017 to 2025.

Sununu has been a longtime critic of Trump, along with much of the rest of his family  penning an op-ed for the Union Leader titled “Donald Trump is a loser” in just February of this year.

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) is seen as the frontrunner on the Democratic side of the race, with a primary challenge in Karishma Manzur, a progressive activist and medical scientist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology and Jared Sullivan, a New Hampshire State Representative. Recent polling from the University of New Hampshire has Pappas beating Sununu by 6 points, with Sununu having significantly higher unfavorables compared to Pappas.

New Hampshire Democrats have been anticipating Sununu’s arrival in the race since first announcing his interest in a run in September. They launched a website—https://www.stopsununu.com—aimed at highlighting his deep ties to highly unpopular corporations used to rake in millions of dollars since leaving public service.

On the site, Democrats claim Sununu “wants to go back to Washington to sell out New Hampshire to the same corporations and special interests that have lined his pockets for years.”

There’s evidence to support that.

The Sununu family has used New Hampshire public offices as frequent pit-stops on the way to high-paying corporate consulting and lobbying work. 

Since leaving the U.S. Senate in 2009, Sununu spent the bulk of his time on major corporate boards, corporate financial firms, and the lobbying firm Akin Gump, which has represented Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The Sununu family’s enormous wealth, tied to various large scale mining operations for gold, silver and copper across the world, has drawn considerable scrutiny both at home and abroad.

“John E. Sununu bailed out Wall Street, voted against lowering drug prices, blocked measures to stop gas price gouging… and then got paid handsomely for his votes. That’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.“ wrote Aaron Jacobs, former campaign manager for Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, on X.

That sentiment was shared by Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

“John Sununu went to Washington almost thirty years ago, then cashed in, making millions selling out to corporations and working for Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Wall Street while the people of New Hampshire paid the price. The only reason Sununu wants to go back to Washington now is to sell out New Hampshire to the same corporations and special interests that have lined his pockets for years. Granite Staters won’t let him sell us out again.”

Top New Hampshire Democrats say the 61-year-old Sununu makes a less compelling candidate over Pappas, aged 45.

“New Hampshire deserves fresh, forward looking leadership, not another return to Washington by someone whose key votes and past record reflect the same top-down politics that have left our communities behind,” said State Sen. Donovan Fenton of Keene.

“While Mr. Sununu’s last name is well-known, his time in the U.S. Senate was years ago, and in that era he supported policies that too often sided with powerful interests rather than working families.”

One top New Hampshire political strategist criticized the launch for not having a public event element, traditionally considered a staple among top-flight campaigns in a state where on-the-ground politicking is considered to be essential.

“Did you choose a video because he’s still living in VA and couldn’t be bothered to come to NH for an event? Or, does he not have the energy to do a rally for his announcement? Or does he have too much contempt for us dumb hicks to come back and spend time with voters?” they asked.

Sununu’s last election to the US Senate was fraught with controversy as he was narrowly elected on the heels of a phone jamming scandal orchestrated by the New Hampshire GOP, in which Republican political staffers arranged for a call center to flood and tie up the phone lines of the New Hampshire Democratic Party and the Manchester firefighters’ union that were being used for rides to the polls.

James Tobin, a senior Republican operative at the Republican National Committee was convicted in 2005 of telephone harassment for his role in the scandal and sentenced to 10 months in prison. His conviction was vacated on appeal in 2007.

However, Sununu won the race by 19,751 votes, leading some to question how much of a role the scandal had in rigging that race.