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Sununu opposed crackdowns on corporate tax shelters
The Republican later served on the boards of tax-dodging corporations.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:34 PM ET
John E. Sununu, a Republican who represented New Hampshire in the US House and then the Senate from 1997 to 2009, seeks his former Senate seat in 2026.
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John Sununu Made Millions Lobbying for Telecom Companies After Voting to Let Them Spy on Americans
Republican U.S. Senate candidate from New Hampshire, John E. Sununu voted for the USA Patriot Act, then later made millions off of telecom companies who
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In New Hampshire Senate race, was Chris Pappas dishonest about his links to Amazon?
“Chris Pappas voted to raise taxes 68 times. Every tax vote he’s made was to raise taxes.”
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U.S. Senate Candidates John Sununu and Rep. Chris Pappas Speak At Forum in Salem
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican John E. Sununu at forum Wednesday in Salem.
indepthnh.org
Pappas -
'I Burned Through My Lifelines:' Pappas' Game Show Cameo Gets Campaign Rerun
Chris Pappas’ 2011 appearance on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” is returning to your TV screen.
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Impeach Trump? Swing State Democratic Senate Candidates Diverge
New Hampshire Representative Chris Pappas, who is facing a close contest against former Senator John Sununu in the race to succeed Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, told Manchester-based news station WMUR he believes…
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- September 10, 1964
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Education
- Salem High School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS and MS in mechanical engineering, 1986 and 1987)
Harvard University (MBA, 1991)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
John Edward Sununu was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 10, 1964, one of eight children of Nancy Sununu and John H. Sununu, who served as governor of New Hampshire and as White House chief of staff; his younger brother, Chris Sununu, also became governor of New Hampshire.
He studied mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a bachelor's degree in 1986 and a master's in 1987, and then completed a Master of Business Administration at Harvard University in 1991.
Career
In 1996, when Republican Representative Bill Zeliff ran for governor, Sununu won the open seat in New Hampshire's 1st congressional district by a narrow margin over Democrat Joe Keefe, and he was reelected in 1998 and 2000; in the House he sat on the Appropriations and Budget committees.
In 2002 he ran for the Senate, beat the Republican incumbent, Bob Smith, in the primary by 13,312 votes and then defeated Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen in the general election by 19,751 votes.
Taking office at 38, he was the youngest senator for the whole of his term, which ran from 2003 to 2009, and he served on the Finance, Commerce, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees. Shaheen defeated him in a 2008 rematch by 44,035 votes.
As of 2009 he sat on the ConvergEx Holdings board of managers; he joined the law and lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as an adjunct senior policy advisor in July 2010 and, in January 2019, the governing council of Lloyd's of London.
Mitch McConnell also appointed him to the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
2026 race
Sununu, a Republican, announced in late 2025 that he would run for his former Senate seat, which Shaheen is leaving after three terms. With Donald Trump's endorsement, he won the Republican primary on September 8, 2026, defeating former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown with 68.5%. His opponent in the November 3, 2026, general election is Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, who won his party's primary the same day with 65% of the vote.