Former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, who endorsed and campaigned for GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley in 2024, has been quiet on social media since the inauguration in January of both President Donald Trump and the new governor of New Hampshire, fellow Republican Kelly Ayotte. (Sununu backed Trump after Haley dropped out.)
Note: Sununu, who said he could win a fifth term in 2024, decided not to run and said: “Public service should never be a career, and the time is right for another Republican to lead our great state.”
During an interview on Fox News on Thursday, Sununu said he was confident that he could win New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen‘s seat, but hasn’t decided yet if he’s running in the 2026 race. (Shaheen is not running for re-election.)
Sununu said: “My biggest fear is that I would win. I’m not too worried about that, actually. I would win, by the way.”
NEW: Today on the #guybensonshow, we were joined by @ChrisSununu & discussed his political future & potential run for the U.S. Senate.
Sununu said that family weighs heavily on his decision, but that “winning is not the worry” if he decides to run.
:https://t.co/QR04CVUK9r pic.twitter.com/mW8Q4R2Zsg
— The Guy Benson Show (@GuyBensonShow) March 13, 2025
He added: “So if I really wanted to do this, I have no doubt we could be very, very successful. I know that sounds arrogant and all that kind of crap. I don’t care.”
The former governor added that winning wasn’t his concern, but that “it’s just about whether it’s really right for myself and my family.”
Note: Trump’s former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand Scott Brown is also reportedly considering a run for Shaheen’s seat. While in Washington, DC this week, Brown took a selfie with his former Fox News colleague, Trump’s new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Met with my former @FoxNew colleague @SecDef @PeteHegseth and my friend @johnthune in Washington DC today – two patriots making this country a better place everyday #nhpolitics.
pic.twitter.com/aZkeMV8Ejk
— Scott P. Brown (@SenScottBrown) March 11, 2025
New Hampshire Democratic Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander are also reportedly considering a run.
A spokesperson for the Senate Democrats’ campaign efforts, David Bergstein, said “No Republican has won a Senate race in over a decade in New Hampshire, and that trend will continue in 2026.” Bergstein added: “This is exactly the kind of state where the building midterm backlash against Republicans will hit their candidates especially hard.”