John E. Sununu, a name etched in New Hampshire political lore, is back in the ring for a U.S. Senate run in 2026.
Fox News reported that after nearly two decades in the private sector, the former Republican senator announced his candidacy on Wednesday, aiming to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, the only swing state in New England.
Sununu’s political journey in the Granite State is a rollercoaster worth recapping. He served as a three-term representative before unseating then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen in the 2002 Senate race.
Their rivalry continued, though, as Shaheen turned the tables in their 2008 rematch, sending Sununu packing.
The Sununu name carries serious weight in New Hampshire. His father, John H. Sununu, was a former governor and chief of staff under former President George H.W. Bush, while his brother, Chris Sununu, recently wrapped up four terms as governor. It’s a dynasty that could give any political clan a run for its money.
But Sununu isn’t just banking on family cred—he’s pitching himself as a voice of reason in a chaotic Congress. “Congress just seems loud, dysfunctional, even angry,” Sununu said, vowing to “return to the Senate to help calm the waters.” That’s a tall order in today’s polarized swamp, but it’s a message that might resonate with fed-up voters.
National Republicans are already lining up behind him, sensing a chance to flip a seat they haven’t won since 2010. Sen. Tim Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the Senate Leadership Fund, tied to Majority Leader John Thune, have thrown their support his way.
It’s clear the GOP establishment sees Sununu as their best shot in a state where they control the governor’s office and legislature but keep striking out in Senate races.
The road to the GOP nomination won’t be a cakewalk, though. Former Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts for three years and narrowly lost to Shaheen in 2014, jumped into the race in late June 2025.
Brown, a Trump endorser from 2016 and former ambassador to New Zealand under the first Trump administration, is positioning himself as the true conservative choice.
Brown didn’t mince words about Sununu’s entry, either. “Anyone who thinks that a never-Trump, corporate lobbyist who hasn’t won an election in a quarter century will resonate with today’s GOP primary voters is living in a different universe,” Brown declared.
Ouch—that’s a jab at Sununu’s support for John Kasich in 2016 and his family’s endorsement of Nikki Haley in 2024, not to mention his critical op-ed calling Trump a “loser” in the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Meanwhile, Trump himself has stayed neutral in this Granite State showdown. Interestingly, he’s been cozy with Chris Sununu, even meeting him in the Oval Office in April 2025 and offering full support if he ran. It’s a curious dynamic, given John Sununu’s less-than-warm history with the former president.
On the Democratic side, Rep. Chris Pappas, a four-term congressman, is the frontrunner for his party’s nomination after launching his campaign in early April 2025.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wasted no time slamming Sununu, accusing him of cozying up to corporate interests during his private sector stint. They’re painting him as a sellout, which could stick if voters are wary of establishment ties.
Ray Buckley, chair of the state Democratic Party, came out swinging with a statement that Sununu “cashed in, making millions selling out to corporations” like Big Oil and Wall Street.
It’s a classic progressive playbook—tie the Republican to corporate greed and hope it sours the electorate. But in a swing state like New Hampshire, where retail politics and personal connections matter, such attacks might not land as hard as Democrats hope.
Let’s not kid ourselves—New Hampshire’s state primary in September 2026, one of the last in the nation, will be a slugfest. Both parties are digging in for a battle that could shape the Senate’s balance of power. Sununu’s return might be a nostalgic play, but it’s also a gamble in a state that’s proven tough for GOP Senate hopefuls.
What’s Sununu’s pitch beyond calming the waters? He’s banking on his experience and name recognition to cut through the noise of a crowded field. But in an era where Trump’s influence still looms large over GOP primaries, his past criticisms of the president could be a liability among the base.
