Sununu Launches Campaign for NH Governor

As expected, Executive Councilor Chris Sununu has officially announced that he will be seeking the Republican nomination for governor of New Hampshire next year, according to a statement.

Sununu made his intentions official at the Salem Republican Committee Labor Day Picnic saying he would be a problem solver and offer new leadership for the state.

“I’m running for governor, because we need to close the opportunity gap that Democratic governors have slid us into over the past two decades,” he said. “We must end the expansive policies of government that are stifling economic growth in our state. As governor, I will work to reestablish an economic climate that will provide dependable, high-paying jobs, and develop pro-growth initiatives to stop the loss of skilled workers and young people to other states.”

The candidate called for reforming education, expanding school choice and charter school opportunities while ensuring that the brightest teachers receive the best wages. Sununu added that he would hold the line on state spending while also agreeing to veto any sales or income tax proposal. He said that taking the pledge also meant not using it as an excuse to expand other taxes and fees.

“I’ll put New Hampshire on a new path; one where everyone can realize and share in new opportunities and a vibrant and growing economy,” Sununu said. “New Hampshire is rich with ingenuity and blessed with people who are not afraid to work hard. As governor, I won’t just be a cheerleader, I will be a problem solver and a coalition builder to move us forward and make a meaningful difference for the future of our state and the lives of its citizens.”

Sununu has been an Executive Councilor since 2010. He is an environmental engineer by trade and owns the Waterville Valley Resort. He is the son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and brother of former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu.

Reaction to the announcement

Not surprisingly, there was both positive and negative reaction to Sununu’s expected announcement.

New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairwoman Jennifer Horn called Sununu “extremely formidable” and stated that the party expected a “positive and productive primary” between Sununu, state Rep. Frank Edelblut, R-Wilton, who is also considering a run, and anyone else who decides to enter the race.

“Maggie Hassan has been an ineffective, hyper-partisan governor who has threated core state services with her politically motivated veto of the state budget,” Horn added. “Governor Hassan has been focused on advancing her political career instead of serving her constituents, and its clear that she is using the corner office as a stepping-stone for a United States Senate campaign.

Democrats, however, pounced on the announcement, criticizing Sununu for his recent votes to defund Planned Parenthood, against commuter rail, and verbal support for a budget that was about $200 million, or 1.7 percent less than what Hassan requested from the Legislature.

Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern, one of Sununu’s colleagues and a rumored gubernatorial candidate on the Democrat’s side of Hassan decides to run for Senate, said the Republican’s comments were not a path toward a brighter future.

“In the two and a half years I have served next to Chris on the state Executive Council, he has voted to restrict access to basic health care for thousands of New Hampshire women, against key renewable energy projects, against commuter rail to Boston, and against the bipartisan, business-endorsed law that expanded health care to tens of thousands,” Van Ostern said. “A brighter future for our state needs leaders who look forward – as Governor Hassan does – not backwards into the past.”

State Party Chairman Ray Buckley offered similar sentiments.

“New Hampshire can’t afford another Sununu’s crusade to take us backwards, undermine our economic progress, and hurt women and families – and luckily, after Republicans have lost six straight campaigns for governor in this state, that’s going to happen again if his father’s hand-picked candidate makes it to next fall,” he stated.