John Edward Sununu, former Republican senator from New Hampshire and brother and son of past governors of the Granite State, will decide whether to run for his former seat by the end of October, a state GOP insider told Newsmax on Friday.
The source spoke to Newsmax on the condition of anonymity.
John Sununu's brother, Chris, who was governor from 2017 to 2025, said this year that he would not run for Senate in the 2026 election.
John, 61, was the youngest member of the Senate while he was in that office from 2003 to 2009. He lost to Democrat Jeanne Shaheen in the 2008 election.
Shaheen is now retiring and thus setting up what is sure to be a battle royal for the open seat.
The main question Sununu has is whether he can win. According to our source, he probably has a greater chance than the candidates running.
While Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., the party's certain nominee, is known for his decidedly liberal views, many voters relate to him because of his likable personality.
Pappas is the first openly gay man to represent the state in Congress.
As it is in most Republican primaries nationwide, an endorsement from President Donald Trump can be a big boost to someone seeking the party's nomination. It's not known whether Trump will endorse John Sununu.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt might also play a role in his decision, given her roots in New Hampshire and strong bid for Congress there in 2022.
So far, the lone heavyweight contender for the Republican Senate nomination is Scott Brown, who won a special election for the Senate from Massachusetts in 2010 and lost the seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren in 2012.
Brown thereupon moved to his childhood home in New Hampshire and won the GOP nomination for the Senate in 2014 but lost narrowly to Shaheen in November.
This year, Brown has been making the rounds of local GOP meetings and competed in triathlons. As our source put it, however, "many folks still refer to him as 'that guy from Massachusetts.'"
Mary Barnes is an assistant to John Gizzi in Newsmax's Washington bureau.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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