John E. Sununu
Running for: US Senate
John E. Sununu, a former Republican U.S. Senator and three-term congressman, hopes to win back the Senate seat he once held. First elected to the Senate in 2002 after defeating then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, he later lost to her in their 2008 rematch. In launching his 2026 campaign, Sununu said Congress has become “loud, dysfunctional, even angry,” and that he wants to “help calm the waters.” After nearly two decades in the private sector, Sununu is emphasizing civility, fiscal discipline, and practical problem-solving as he seeks to re-enter public service.
Awaiting response to our 2026 Federal Candidate Survey
Position on Issues
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Do you support abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and redistributing its duties?
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On Manchester Public Television Sununu said, "I'll fight for real reform in Congress. Let's start with term limits. No more career politicians."
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In a 2026 debate with Scott Brown John Sununu said, "We have an industry of people coming from other countries in order to give birth in order to allow their children to be citizens. That is not what was envisioned by the 14th Amendment. No matter what the Supreme Court decides, that is wrong. That shouldn't be allowed. And if the Supreme Court doesn't make the right decision, then Congress should certainly act to restrict and prohibit that kind of behavior. It's right for America and it's certainly the right thing for the people of New Hampshire."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Do you support a constitutional amendment limiting outside funding of campaigns through PACs?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government combat inflation by requiring budget cuts to match any new federal spending?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government combat inflation by capping price increases by large businesses?
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"Nicolas Maduro was a corrupt, illegitimate dictator under indictment for trafficking in drugs that have inundated our country and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. His capture makes America and the Western Hemisphere safer, and will allow him to be brought to justice for his crimes. I commend the men and women of our Armed Forces and their Commander in Chief for planning and executing such a complex mission with nearly flawless precision.”
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"If you're going to have tariffs, set them at a reasonable rate. When you're dealing with a country like China, I completely understand what he's trying to accomplish to restrict their access to American markets, American technology, etc. But give us some clarity and certainty and Congress has a big role to play as well."
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At a 2026 candidate debate John Sununu said, "This is about women's safety. Boys shouldn't be competing in girls' sports, of course. And we need to do whatever we can to protect women, to protect girls in sports, and we have every right to do it, right? I mean, that's that's supposedly what Title IX was all about, and we're not living up to that promise."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government ban some abortions?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Should the U.S. Constitution have a Balanced Budget Amendment?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government pass a law guaranteeing the right to choose abortion before fetal viability (generally 24 weeks gestation)?
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When asked about China at a candidate debate, John Sununu said, "China is the biggest national security threat we face. It's good news, I suppose, that so many of their Belt and Road initiatives are crumbling around the world. The countries where they've brought in resources, the countries that they've let borrow money, they're seeing that this initiative is just a shell. Well, that's a step in the right direction, but we still need to confront China everywhere we can around the world. That means providing and continuing to provide our support military. Support for Taiwan, continuing to work to diversify our supply chains so we're not dependent on products coming from China, making sure that we have good tariff policies in place to penalize China for unfair trade practices, dumping, undercutting price, and destroying American industries around the globe. Look, that's what it's about. You have to fight them at every corner of the economy, every corner of the globe."
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While John Sununu has not directly addressed oil and natural gas leases on public land, in a 2026 debate he said, "Energy, energy costs, energy investments, right? What do we do? How do we make it better? First, production. I mean, it sounds so simplistic, but the Democrats have voted against new production domestically time after time after time. Today, the United States is the biggest producer of oil and gas in the world. We need to protect that energy dominance. Second, permitting reform. It is too hard to build critical infrastructure in America electric transmission, gas pipelines. We need more gas brought into central New Hampshire from the mid-Atlantic states through Massachusetts. Massachusetts is stopping it dead in its tracks."
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Although he did not specifically address the Keystone XL pipeline, on Manchester Public Television Sununu said, "As Senator, I'll focus on three things. First, let's bring down the cost of living. Since the first day of my campaign, I've focused on jobs, wages, and affordability for housing, energy, and healthcare. ... Energy affordability means producing more here in America, and building infrastructure like pipelines and electric transmission to deliver low cost energy."
Other| Read My Position
"I'm not going to wade into foreign policy as I travel across New Hampshire to listen to people, to understand their perspectives, and obviously to make my decision. I think dealing with Middle East politics is among one of the most complex, challenging, difficult things, and the scale and the scope of the suffering, starting with October 7 and the suffering we're seeing today in the Middle East, isn't something that's going to be solved with a sound bite from me or from anybody else."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Should Congress pass legislation limiting the ability of large institutional investors to purchase multiple single-family homes for use as rental properties?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Do you support the option of mail-in ballots for all voters, not just absentees?
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"I'd have to look at it. You know, I don't know exactly what the federal regulations are, you know, which schedule it's on. Obviously, states have gone very far at the individual level, as the states have the right to do, to deal with how they penalize it, misdemeanor status, legalization, etc. You know, this may be an issue where the federal government probably ought to just stay out and let the states make the decisions that are right for them and their people."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government reform Social Security by requiring means testing?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government amend the Affordable Care Act/"Obamacare" by automatically enrolling every citizen in Medicare, replacing most private insurance?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government amend the Affordable Care Act/"Obamacare" by allowing citizens to opt into Medicare if they so choose?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Should the U.S. government continue to provide military aid to Ukraine (without putting U.S. soldiers on the ground)?
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When asked on WMUR about his prior support for a plan to privatize social security, John E. Sununu answered, "That was 20 years ago, Adam. And if we had passed that bill, if we had passed that bill, the system would be solvent today, and retirees would have, most retirees would have a greater benefit than they enjoy today. Okay? But today, 20 years later, we've got to work on a bipartisan basis to solve it."
For| Read My Position
When asked at a candidate debate about the Senate's failure to pass the SAVE Act, John Sununu said, "Make them vote. Make them do their job. But second, make them vote straight up or down on the provision that you have to show voter ID in order or a photo ID in order to vote. It's very simple. We have it in New Hampshire. Chris Pappas is against it. All right. Now they attached all kinds of other things to this legislation, make them have a straight up or down vote. If Democrats vote no, you hold them accountable. Second, you attach it to every critical piece of legislation that comes down the pipe. A defense appropriation bill, attach it, defense authorization, national national security funding. Heck, you put it on an ag bill, you put it on a farm bill, that's going to pass the AAC. Don't stop until you get it done."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government reform social security by raising the cap on income subject to the Social Security tax?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government reform Social Security by raising the retirement age from today's age of 67?
Against| Read My Position
When asked about the "One Big Beautiful Bill" at a 2026 candidate debate, John Sununu said, "I would have voted for it too. It didn't add trillions to the national debt. This is liberal Democrat accounting right here coming from stage stage left here, OK. What, what, what the Democrats said is, well, taxes are the tax cuts from 5 years ago were due to expire, so that means taxes would have skyrocketed on every American. And because we voted to keep taxes where they were, that was a tax cut, right, only in liberal America, in fact, Voting against that bill was voting for the biggest tax increase in American history, and believe me, Chris Pappas did it. He voted. He also voted for $100 billion in new energy taxes. Look, that bill did some important things. It kept taxes low. It cut taxes on overtime. It cut taxes on Social Security recipients. It cut taxes on tips. So important to. New Hampshire's small business and travel and tourism economy. It also started to scale back the fraud. It went after fraud in Medicaid. It said, look, you've got to work if you're able-bodied, able bodied getting Medicaid, you ought to work. And get this, if you're an illegal immigrant, you shouldn't get Medicaid. Yeah, I think we're for that. I think we're for that. OK, these are the big pieces, the important pieces that take this country in the right direction. And with taxes low, our economy is going to continue to grow, and that's so important to New Hampshire's small business economy that we not saddle them with new taxes, new regulations."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Should the federal government withhold funds from cities that refuse to cooperate with ICE detainers?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government combat inflation by repealing or revising the Jones Act to allow more foreign involvement in shipping between U.S. ports?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026
Do you support reinstating federal consumer tax credits or subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government combat inflation by supporting further Federal Reserve interest rate hikes?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2025
Should the federal government tax carbon emissions?
Other| Read My Position
Discussing war in Iran: "Look, if you're asking me if I would have done this, no, no," Sununu said. "But when you look at the imperative of making sure Iran can't get access to a nuclear weapon, I think in the long run, our national security interests and those of the region and the world, because this does impact Europe, will have been supported."
