Former New Hampshire U.S. Senator John E. Sununu and former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown debated at the Victoria Inn in Hampton Wednesday. For GOP primary voters, it was their first chance to see the two Senate candidates side by side, and several hundred turned out to take their measure.
“I want a plain-spoken guy,” Sam Steele said before the candidates took the stage. A lawyer from North Hampton, Steele said he moved to New Hampshire from Washington, D.C., 15 years ago. That was back when Brown represented Massachusetts in the Senate, and Sununu advised a major DC-lobbying firm after losing his Senate seat to Jeanne Shaheen in 2008.
Steele, who wore a Make America Great Again hat, said he likes Brown, but had never seen Sununu.
“Is that him over there?” he said pointing to Sununu. “He’s got no presence. He looks like a loser to me.”
Steele said he was unaware that President Trump had endorsed Sununu over Brown.
“Really? I did not know about that.” Steele said.
Trump’s backing of Sununu, who supported neither of Trump’s presidential bids, and once wrote an op-ed headlined, “Donald Trump is a Loser,” hung over the debate.
Sununu never mentioned having Trump’s support, but Brown repeatedly argued that Trump’s endorsement compromised Sununu’s independence. Brown had himself sought Trump’s backing, but argued not winning it would allow him to prioritize New Hampshire’s best interests.
“If there's something that the president wants, respectfully, that affects New Hampshire in a negative manner, I'm the guy that can actually say 'no, sir,' because I didn’t get his endorsement,” Brown said. “I support 95% of what he does, but respectfully, he's not right all the time.”
Sununu, meanwhile, stressed his own record in Washington, which included writing legislation to ban internet taxes, and pushing to limit the reach of laws that implicated personal privacy, including REAL ID and the Patriot Act.
“That’s what consistency and conservatism is all about, Sununu said.
Sununu also emphasized his backing by top local Republicans, including state Senate President Sharon Carson, and every Republican on the Executive Council. But he also acknowledged receiving financial support from “all over the country,” which he said Brown was wrong to criticize.
“Nobody's contribution makes any difference,” Sununu said. “For someone to stand up and say, 'well, yes, it does,' that makes me question where they're coming from, because it doesn't make a difference to me. And to go around accusing others of having that influence is just wrong. It’s just wrong, and not New Hampshire.”
Iran was another point of friction. Sununu and Brown both oppose the $300 billion reconstruction fund included in President Trump’s proposed Iran deal. But Sununu also recently told WMUR that he disagreed with Trump’s decision to attack Iran in the first place, which Brown noted is a stance Sununu shares with U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate.
“John and Chris (Pappas) said they wouldn’t move forward with what the president is doing, I respectfully disagree.” Brown said.
Sununu didn’t respond.
Brown twice told the crowd that if he lost the primary, he would give Sununu his full support. Sununu didn’t reciprocate the offer.
On other issues there was largely agreement. Sununu and Brown both said they favor eliminating birthright citizenship, would support federal legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, and oppose allowing trangender girls to compete on women’s sports teams.
Brown and Sununu also said they backed the policies in President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which extended tax cuts and reduced future funding for Medicaid, and clean energy initiatives.
Throughout the debate the two Republicans also took repeated aim at Chris Pappas.
Sununu described him as “the worst” and a “legislative zero.”
“I am running to send Chris Pappas back to bussing tables at his family’s chicken restaurant," Sununu said to cheers.
Brown was also critical, accusing Pappas of leading on “open borders, sanctuary cities, men in women and girls sports, defund the police, no military.” But Brown also seemed to acknowledge that beating Pappas, who has been on the ballot in New Hampshire in every state election since 2002, and lost only once, could be tough to beat.
“I got into this race to make sure that Jeanne Shaheen didn’t run, but also more importantly to make sure that Chris Pappas is not our Senator for 30 or 40 years.” Brown said.
After the debate, Sununu shook a few hands and headed out. Brown worked the crowd at length.
Ellen Hyatt of Hampton wore a t-shirt that read “Peace, Love, Republican.” She said she hadn’t sorted out who to vote for, but said the debate reassured her she’d probably be fine with either Sununu or Brown.
“Their personalities are very distinct if you know what I mean, Hyatt said. “I am a pragmatist and I think both are preferable to Pappas. But which can actually win?”
That’s a question for GOP voters across New Hampshire to weigh.
