John Sununu says brother ‘totally wrong’ about election hypothetical

Former US senator John E. Sununu rejected a suggestion by his younger brother, former New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu, about the state’s Senate election. Chris had said John would be 30 points ahead if voters mistakenly thought the former governor was on the ballot. The remark followed an allegation by John’s Democratic opponent, Chris Pappas, that campaign signs featuring only the Sununu surname were intended to cause confusion. Both brothers denied that allegation. Asked about Chris’s hypothetical on 27 October, John said his brother was “totally wrong” and credited his campaign’s work on the cost of living and jobs for making the race competitive.

The exchange drew attention to the Sununu family’s prominence in New Hampshire politics during John’s bid to return to the Senate seat he held from 2003 to 2009. Chris said he supported his brother and had attended private fundraisers, but had not taken part in public campaigning with him. John described the contest as a toss-up; polls cited in the original report, however, showed Pappas ahead, and the Cook Political Report had shifted its rating towards the Democrat. The disagreement concerned a hypothetical margin, rather than an actual election result.