(The Center Square) – Former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu, bidding to flip one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats for Republicans, has drawn an endorsement from second-term Republican President Donald Trump.
Trump on Sunday backed his former critic over former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. The race is one of several pivotal to majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterms.
Third-term Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, having turned 79 last Wednesday, in March of last year said she would not seek another six-year term. She’s a former governor and defeated Sununu in 2008.
“John is strongly supported by the most highly respected leaders in New Hampshire, and many Republicans in the U.S. Senate and, as your next senator, he will work tirelessly to advance our America First Agenda,” Trump wrote on social media.
Sununu has a record of backing Trump rivals and served as national cochairman on the 2016 Republican presidential campaign of then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who refused to support Trump as the party’s nominee. Sununu thanked Trump for his support and said his bid to return to the Senate “has and always will be about standing up for New Hampshire – every single day.”
Brown dismissed Trump’s endorsement in a social media post that said New Hampshire voters will be “the ultimate authority” which GOP candidate in the race deserves their support.
“I am running to ensure our America First agenda is led by someone who views this mission not as a career path, but as a continuation of a lifelong commitment to service,” he wrote on social media Sunday night. “My priorities for New Hampshire remain clear: a stronger economy, a secure border, reliable and affordable energy and better health care for our veterans. This mission has always been about you, not me.”
The Senate Leadership Fund, aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, was among those who praised the endorsement. In a Monday statement, it said Sununu “is the clear choice to be New Hampshire’s next U.S. senator, and President Trump’s critical endorsement has put an end to the primary.”
The decision by Shaheen has prompted a flurry of candidates in what is likely to be a competitive race that could help determine a majority of the U.S. Senate in next year’s midterms.
Brown, a former New Zealand ambassador who lost a New Hampshire Senate race against Shaheen in 2014, got into the race early by declaring his candidacy before Shaheen announced she would not be running for another term.
Sununu announced last month that he was making a comeback bid to reclaim the seat he lost to Democrats 17 years ago. The veteran politician, whose lineage hails from one of New Hampshire’s most storied political families, represented New Hampshire in the Senate from 2003 to 2008 after serving in the House of Representatives.
A University of New Hampshire poll released in September found 42% of likely Republican voters favor Sununu versus 27% who would vote for Brown, in a primary matchup. About 31% of those polled were still undecided. Tejasinha Sivalingam is the third candidate in the primary.
On the Democratic side, four-term Rep. Chris Pappas will face off against state Rep. Jared Sullivan and political newcomer Karishma Manzur for the party’s nomination to run for the Senate seat.
