Former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu is considering running for the Senate next year and has spoken with Republicans in Washington about such a campaign, the Washington Examiner reported on Wednesday.
Sununu has talked recently with both Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and former Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, the outgoing chairman of the Senate Leadership Fund, about his interest in becoming a candidate for the Senate, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Senate Republicans tried unsuccessfully to recruit Sununu's brother, four-term former Gov. Chris Sununu, to run for the seat of retiring Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., next year.
But John Sununu could offer Republican leadership a similar appeal, as the Sununu family is a political dynasty in New Hampshire with near-universal name recognition, and John Sununu previously won the seat in a 2002 contest against Shaheen. Six years later, Shaheen beat Sununu.
If he were to enter the race today, Sununu would be expected to face Democrat Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., who represents New Hampshire's 1st District.
National Republicans view Sununu as one of their last chances to make the New Hampshire race competitive this election cycle against Pappas, according to NOTUS.
This is despite former Sen. Scott Brown — who represented Massachusetts and previously lost to Shaheen in 2014 in New Hampshire — having also declared he's running on the Republican side.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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