Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!
0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8f680000Coverage of the 2016 races in New Hampshire, from the White House to the State House.

Edelblut Returns to Gubernatorial Stump - This Time, to Back Sununu

Todd Bookman/NHPR

After a surprise strong showing in last month’s GOP gubernatorial primary, Frank Edelblut is back on the campaign trail, backing his former rival Chris Sununu.

And while he’s not commenting on his political ambitions, the move suggests Edelblut could have more elections in his future.

A first-term state representative, Edelblutcame within a single percentage point of knocking off Sununu in September's four-way race for the Republican nomination.

With little name recognition in the state or political experience, Edelblut positioned himself as a successful businessman and entrepreneur, as well as a pro-life, pro-gun conservative with a libertarian streak.

“We need a problem solver in Concord who is going to move the state into the 21st century and actually fix the structural issues that the state has," Edelblut told NHPR in June. "Not just rearrange the deck chairs and tell us everything is ok."  

This week, Edelblut returned to the stump, criticizing Sununu’s opponent in the November election, Democrat Colin Van Ostern.  

“His resume, if you dig into it, is thin at best,” he said. “And he simply does not have the experience to be able to run the state well and make the state perform.”

Edelblut continued what is now a common line of attack against Van Ostern: that he trumps up his time at Londonderry-based Stonyfield, the organic-yogurt company, while glossing over the years he spent in and out of politics over the course of a decade.

Asked afterwards about his own political aspirations, Edelblut left the door open.

“As of right now, I’m focused on November 8th, to make sure we get the best slate of legislative and executive branch folks into those offices,” he said, “and then I’ll deal with that on November 9th.”

Todd started as a news correspondent with NHPR in 2009. He spent nearly a decade in the non-profit world, working with international development agencies and anti-poverty groups. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.