New Hampshire GOP tries to turn state red; Democrats have the momentum
By Ken Thomas | Photography by Emilio Musto for WSJ
DEERFIELD, N.H. -- John E. Sununu was first elected to the Senate in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks and was the chamber's youngest member during his single term.
Nearly two decades later, the Republican from one of New Hampshire's most durable political families is seeking a comeback that could act as a lifeline in the GOP's quest to cling to its teetering Senate majority.
But to do so, Sununu will need to navigate a tightrope, creating enough distance from President Trump in a difficult political environment while still attracting Trump's MAGA supporters. Polls show his opponent, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, with a slight edge in a state where Democrats have dominated federal offices for the past decade.
During weekend campaign appearances around the state, Sununu presented himself as a "strong, independent voice" focused entirely on New Hampshire issues and bringing down economic costs -- noting that he even worked with Hillary Clinton on automobile safety. But he also sought to separate himself from Trump.
"Look, I've never met the president. If he pushes for policies that aren't good for New Hampshire, I'm going to oppose them. If he pushes for policies that I think are right for New Hampshire, I'll support them," Sununu told reporters at an annual fair in Deerfield.
"This is about the future. Donald Trump will be in office for two more years, and when he leaves, it's going to create a huge vacuum and I want to make sure the country goes in a direction that's good for New Hampshire," he said.
Democrats are increasingly bullish about their chances of winning a majority in the Senate, needing a net gain of four seats as races tighten around the country. A loss in New Hampshire -- or in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed is in a tight race against Mike Rogers to hold onto another blue seat -- would complicate those plans.
Facing potential losses of GOP-held Senate seats in North Carolina, Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, Maine and Texas, Republicans have been pouring money into advertising here.
Pappas has been sounding the alarm for months, urging the national party to avoid complacency in the battleground state. He has received help from several surrogates considering 2028 presidential bids, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who campaigned with him this past weekend.
The GOP has spent about $39 million this year in New Hampshire through the beginning of October, according to data compiled by AdImpact, compared with $23 million by Democrats. And Republicans have reserved another $14.6 million through the November election, slightly more than the $14.2 million in reservations for Democrats, a disparity that worries Democrats.
"Every commercial is basically, 'He's Satan,' 'No, he's Satan,'" said Glenn Brackett, president of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, which is supporting Pappas. "I think there's some battle fatigue going on because we have elections here every two years."
Democrats have tried to portray Sununu as a beneficiary of Washington's revolving door, pointing to his post-Senate lobbying career and asserting that he would simply be a rubber-stamp for Trump.
"He was there before and it didn't end well for New Hampshire. And the fact is, this is the time to turn the page from Trump," Pappas said. Republicans have aired advertising about Pappas, who is gay, voting on issues that his spouse has lobbied on.
Asked to name any matters on which he disagreed with Trump, Sununu said the U.S. shouldn't be in a trade war with Canada, described the president's midterm promise of $5,000 payments as making "no sense economically," and added, "I said from the beginning it was a mistake to go into Iran without a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz."
Pappas and his team note that Sununu previously said the Trump administration was correct to seek to eliminate Iran's nuclear program. Sununu said in March that the Iran mission was "important and critical," and said in June that the administration had "achieved success" in Iran.
Sununu backed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's 2024 presidential bid against Trump, and penned a January 2024 opinion piece, headlined, "Donald Trump is a Loser."
"I didn't write the headline but I think most of what was in there was a fair assessment at the time," Sununu said when asked about the piece.
The Sununu name is arguably the best-known brand in state GOP politics. The former senator is the eldest of eight children -- his father, John H. Sununu, served as governor in the 1980s and then as White House chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush. The Senate candidate's brother, Chris Sununu, who is about 10 years younger, served as governor for eight years, wrapping up his final term in 2025.
John E. Sununu won a seat in Congress in 1996 and then six years later defeated in a primary Sen. Bob Smith, who had launched a quixotic independent bid for president before returning to the GOP. Sununu then beat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the state's governor at the time, in the 2002 Senate general election, becoming a senator at age 38, but then lost to Shaheen in a rematch in 2008.
Eyeing a potentially winnable Senate race, Republicans checked in with Chris Sununu, who now leads a trade group for major U.S. airlines, but he rejected those overtures. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) and former Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, who was leading a GOP Senate super PAC at the time, quietly encouraged John E. Sununu, providing him with polling, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Thune then lobbied the president to support Sununu in the primary against former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, the party's 2014 Senate nominee, the person said. Trump issued the early endorsement for Sununu in February.
Democrats have needled Sununu over his family ties, suggesting that some voters think his younger brother, the popular former governor, is actually running for Senate.
When a reporter at the fair asked Sununu about possible voter confusion, he said, "You just walked with me for 40 minutes. Not only did just about every person I met know the difference, half the people yelled out my name, 'John Sununu,' without me even introducing myself."
"So you can sort of parrot the idea that there is a lot of confusion -- there's really very, very little confusion," he said, adding: "There were even high-school kids yelling out my name."
Inside the fairgrounds, Sununu walked from booth to booth, shaking hands and greeting attendees, most of whom responded positively. One person recalled taking a photograph with Sununu in his Senate office after receiving an award. Another told Sununu that he went to school with one of his sisters.
But Sununu also encountered the state's flinty political side. When he approached Paul LeBlanc, of Pittsfield, N.H., inside a tent filled with antique tractors, LeBlanc scolded Sununu about his negative ads about Pappas. As Sununu walked away, LeBlanc, a Democrat, shouted at him, "Stay off my TV!"
Lou Gargiulo, who co-chaired Trump's three campaigns in the state, said he expected MAGA faithful in New Hampshire to vote for Sununu and he "wouldn't be surprised" if Trump visits the state before the election.
Gargiulo said it would be Sununu's decision on whether to attend an event with Trump, adding, "He's the candidate and candidates have to make difficult decisions. If he thinks it's going to hurt him, well, that's a problem. But I think a visit could be orchestrated in a manner that would be beneficial without hurting anybody."