Republican State Sen. Dan Innis is suspending his campaign for the U.S. Senate to back the potential candidacy of former Sen. John E. Sununu.
Innis, who is serving his third term in the state Senate, launched his campaign two months ago, promising to provide “backup” to President Donald Trump if elected. But in a statement released Thursday, Innis said it was time to make way for Sununu — who has not yet launched a formal campaign but has recently indicated an interest in doing so.
“Sen. Sununu is the respected, experienced and trusted conservative that I was hoping would jump in the race last spring,” Innis said in a social media post. “That is why today I am proudly suspending my campaign for the U.S. Senate and joining the campaign to draft John Sununu for U.S. Senate!”
Innis said he’ll now “refocus” on winning reelection to his State House seat. But Innis also said he would “reactivate” his Senate campaign if Sununu doesn't end up joining the race.
Innis also urged the other Republican now running for Senate, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, to join him in clearing Sununu’s potential path to the GOP nomination.
“The last thing we need is a long, drawn-out primary that will inevitably end with Sen. Sununu as the nominee, because Granite Staters will never accept a former Massachusetts senator who consistently sided with Barack Obama and the Democrats the last time he was in Washington,” Innis said.
In a social media post Thursday, Brown indicated he plans to remain a candidate and welcomed the possibility of Sununu entering the race.
“I look forward to a hard-fought, issue-oriented, spirited primary campaign once John E. Sununu concludes his so-called ‘listening tour,’ ” Brown wrote. “Come on in, John, the water’s warm! Heck, bring John Kasich along to campaign with you.”
While Brown has tried to resurrect his political fortunes by touting his ties to Trump, who in 2017 tapped him to be U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Sununu has been a critic of the president for much of the past decade. He was a strong backer of former Ohio Gov. John Kasich during his loss to Trump in the 2016 presidential primary and of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley during her loss to Trump in last year's presidential primary.
Sununu served three terms in the U.S House and one term in the U.S. Senate, but has been out of elected politics for more than a decade. Since leaving the Senate in 2009, he's focused on the private sector, including a stint advising a major D.C. lobbying firm, and work on corporate boards.
Sununu’s brand of Republicanism — which often focused on small government, balanced budgets and civil liberties — doesn’t neatly fit with the current Trump-era GOP. Even so, Sununu was courted by national Republicans to run for the Senate. He has said his current focus is on listening to New Hampshire voters as he weighs trying to return to Washington.
In a post on X Thursday, Sununu praised Innis.
“I respect Dan Innis’ decision to suspend his US Senate campaign, “ Sununu wrote. “He’s been an outstanding State Senator — we need his leadership in Concord. Deeply appreciate Dan’s kind words and his pledge of support if I run for Senate.”
