Sununu flips anti-incumbent script in New Hampshire Senate race

Former Senator John E. Sununu is challenging Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas in the New Hampshire Senate race by arguing that the congressman has failed to deliver results for the state during his eight years in Washington. Sununu, who is running to return to Capitol Hill after 18 years away, told Fox News Digital that Pappas has attempted very little in Congress and accomplished even less.

The campaign is a pivotal contest in the broader fight to determine whether Republicans maintain control of the Senate. The race to succeed retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen has recently been re-rated as a toss-up by both the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections. These shifts are notable because they favor the Republican candidate during a midterm cycle where the party typically faces headwinds as the group in power in Washington. The political environment is further complicated by persistent inflation, high fuel prices attributed to the war with Iran, and low approval ratings for President Donald Trump.

Sununu’s strategy leverages the Sununu family name, which remains a significant political brand in New Hampshire. His father, John E. Sununu, served as governor and later as White House chief of staff under President George H.W. Bush, while his brother Chris Sununu recently completed an eight-year term as governor. Sununu also cites his private sector experience over the last 16 years, including work with tech firms and the Waterville Valley ski area, as providing a perspective he believes is missing from Washington.

Central to Sununu’s attack is the claim that Pappas’s ineffectiveness is harming New Hampshire’s infrastructure funding. Sununu noted that Pappas served on the Transportation Committee for eight years while New Hampshire ranked last in highway funding in New England. Although federal and state figures show New Hampshire receives some of the lowest total and per-capita levels of federal funding for roads and bridges in the country, it does not rank last on every metric. In response, Pappas introduced the Highway Fair Share Act earlier this year, a bill designed to ensure each state receives at least 0.5% of total federal-aid highway formula funding.

Pappas’s campaign manager, Rachel Petri, countered by listing specific accomplishments, including efforts to expand healthcare benefits for veterans and secure millions of dollars for infrastructure repairs. Petri criticized Sununu’s record, citing votes to cut Medicare and support for social security privatization. She also noted that Pappas is rated among the most effective and bipartisan lawmakers.

The race has intensified with significant outside spending. Pappas warned that Republican-aligned super PACs are pouring millions of dollars weekly into New Hampshire to flip the seat. He stated that out-of-state special interests are outspending his campaign three-to-one on television ads. In return, a Democrat-aligned super PAC has launched ads accusing Sununu of working for lobbying firms after leaving the Senate.

Democrats have also sought to tie Sununu to President Trump, whose approval ratings are negative in New Hampshire. Pappas labeled Sununu as Trump’s hand-picked candidate. Sununu denied any personal connection, stating he has never met the president, but argued that he would be a more effective voice with the current administration than Pappas.