Former senator John E. Sununu wins New Hampshire Republican Senate primary

Sununu will face Pappas in race seen as critical to Senate control

Former senator John E. Sununu won New Hampshire’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday, defeating Scott Brown to claim the GOP nomination in a race that will help determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Sununu, 61, served one term in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2009. He entered the primary as the clear frontrunner.

President Trump endorsed Sununu earlier this year despite Sununu’s public criticism of him. In a 2024 op-ed, Sununu called Trump a “loser” and backed Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary. On the campaign trail since, Sununu has tried to establish daylight from the administration, criticizing Trump’s tariff policy, urging Congress to rein in executive power, and questioning the decision to launch military action in Iran.

Sununu told New Hampshire Public Radio that the military action was “a tactical mistake” because it proceeded “without having a plan for protecting the strait of Hormuz.” That positioning may matter in a state where Trump’s approval rating sits at 38%.

Brown, Sununu’s primary opponent, previously represented Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire. He served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during Trump’s first term. Neither Sununu nor Brown responded to interview requests.

Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci called Sununu a “strong candidate” who was “well positioned to beat out Pappas” in the general election. “While Democrats have been consumed by infighting, Republicans have been laser-focused on real issues like affordability and security,” Cianci said in a statement.

Sununu will face Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in November. Pappas advanced past a progressive challenger in his own primary. The general election is expected to be closely watched and critical to Democratic hopes of flipping the upper chamber.

Some Democrats worry New Hampshire could become a sleeper risk to the party. Republicans control the state legislature but have not won a Senate seat there since 2010, when Kelly Ayotte — now the governor — captured the seat.