By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Former Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of Newfields said he is not going to run for U.S. Senate. He said it is not right for him and his family to go to Washington.
He told the news talk radio The Pulse of NH Tuesday morning that has decided he would not run despite having support from within the state and President Donald Trump.
He stepped down from running the state the past eight years but previously considered not only a U.S. Senate seat but to also run for President and decided against it.
The seat is being vacated by the U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat and former governor who is retiring.
Congressman Chris Pappas, D-NH, said he is running for the seat in Senate in 2026. His campaign said in a news release: “This race has always been about putting the people of New Hampshire first and ensuring they continue to have a voice in Washington who will stand up to this administration, self-dealing billionaires, and extreme politicians who threaten our future and our ability to get things done for New Hampshire.”
It went on: “We know this race will be close and that Donald Trump and National Republicans are continuing to recruit candidates who support their reckless agenda of crashing our economy and gutting vital services like Medicaid and Social Security to finance tax breaks for large, powerful corporations. Since launching this campaign, the support Chris Pappas has received in all ten counties has been overwhelming, and it’s not surprising that people like Chris Sununu are thinking twice about getting into the race, given the energy we are seeing and the desire of Granite Staters to end the chaos. Chris will continue to work to earn every vote in this election and take his campaign to every corner of the state.”
Considered a possible candidate on the Republican side is former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott P. Brown of Rye, who served from 2010 to 2013 and was also a U.S. diplomat.
On social media, he called Sununu and his family “patriots” who have made New Hampshire a better place and that he looks forward to seeing what is next for him and “working alongside him for New Hampshire’s future.”