New Hampshire's GOP primary features two familiar names from the past, and voters are fine with that

BERLIN, N.H. (AP) — It’s been 24 years since a campaign commercial opened with a voter declaring “John Sununu represents the future.” His current opponent, Scott Brown, is a grandfather who says that role gives him an edge.

Bucking national trends, the top candidates in New Hampshire’s eight-person Republican primary for U.S. Senate are both former senators whose heydays long predate the Trump era. While voters elsewhere have embraced a decidedly anti-establishment sentiment this campaign season, New Hampshire Republican voters appear content with their choices and are poised to pick a familiar name over a fresh face on Tuesday.

Paul Martino, 57, of North Hampton, said he’s supporting Sununu because he seems smart, honest and civic-minded and called him “a good guy for this moment.”

“We need more people who try to find commonalities we can work off of versus differences we can use to be divisive,” he said.

The Republicans' back-to-the-future approach will provide a stark contrast in November with Democrats, whose primary includes both younger and progressive candidates.

GOP voters are comfortable with their comeback candidates

Sununu and Brown were among 27 former members of Congress who mounted comeback campaigns this year. Only nine have advanced to the general election, including several who have been out of office just for the last two years.

Sununu, who will turn 62 this coming week, served three terms in the U.S. House and one in the Senate before being ousted in 2008 by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring after three terms. He hasn’t been on a ballot in 18 years — long enough for some babies born during his final year in office to reach voting age.

But just as being the son of a former governor most likely eased his entry into politics, Sununu is now benefiting from the popularity of his younger brother, Chris, whose eight years as governor ended last year.

When Sununu announced his campaign in October, Fox News broadcast a story misidentifying him as Chris, displayed multiple photos of his brother and combined their resumes. In June, a debate moderator introduced him as Chris. And late last month, a supporter at the Coos County Republican Committee BBQ snapped a selfie with him and told a reporter “I liked him as our governor.”

“Oh, there’s so many of them!” Sudie Francouer, 82, said after being informed of her mix-up.

Sununu insists he’s focused on emphasizing his own record of accomplishments.

“I’m sure when Chris ran, people thought he was me,” he said in an interview. “His independence and focus on New Hampshire is certainly something he got from me, and that I’ll try to emulate as well.”

Brown, who will turn 67 this coming week, said Sununu is running on little more than his name and said he has encountered similarly confused voters.

“They say, ’Who’s John? The father’s running again?'” he said.

While he lags behind Sununu in polls and fundraising, Brown says he believes voters will break late in his favor.

“He’s not doing anything,” Brown said of his opponent. “I’m going to outwork him.”

Trump is mostly a nonfactor in New Hampshire GOP primary

In other contested primaries, President Donald Trump’s endorsement often was the most coveted prize, but he's barely registered in the New Hampshire Senate race.

Trump endorsed Sununu in February, even though Brown was his ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during his first term and Sununu called the president a “loser” during the 2024 GOP presidential primary.

While the endorsement allowed Sununu to skip kowtowing to Trump to win the primary, University of New Hampshire political science professor Dante Scala said he was surprised Brown didn’t make the race “all about who is the Trumpiest.”

“It makes me wonder, well, maybe that’s just not in him,” he said. “He’s from that earlier era, and it’s hard to learn the new language.”

Brown won a special election in Massachusetts after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2009, lost his seat three years later and unsuccessfully challenged Shaheen in 2014. He acknowledges that the Problem Solvers Caucus he remembers from his time in Washington has largely been replaced by a polarizing “you’re all in or you’re out” mentality. But he said his time away and lack of big endorsements make him more independent.

“John can’t break with the president. He can’t break with all those special interests,” Brown said. “I’m a freelancer. I have the ability to vote my conscience, because I read the bills. I see how they affect our state, country, debt and deficit and I vote, period.”

Even without Trump’s endorsement, Brown said he is more aligned with the current Republican landscape than his opponent. Sununu declined to discuss how the party has changed — saying “I’m not going to review 20 years of political history” — but like Brown, he cites independence as the cornerstone of his campaign.

“I don’t need to worry about reelection. I don’t need to make anyone in Washington happy,” he said. “I’ll just stand up for New Hampshire.”

Primary winners for each party will provide a contrast in November

Tuesday's primary comes just eight weeks before the general election, and it's unclear how the GOP nominee will fare when Trump is facing dismal approval ratings and voters nationally seem hungry for a course correction.

In the Democratic primary, the anti-establishment trend was evident in the rise of democratic socialist Karishma Manzur, a 52-year-old research scientist who holds a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology. With the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris and other party leaders, four-term U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, 46, raised far more money even as she gained on him in polls.

While both cast themselves as fighters against corruption in Washington, Manzur has argued that Pappas has long been beholden to political donors, particularly the pro-Israel lobby.

In the Republican race, voter Ed Gleason, 89, of Pelham, said he wasn't concerned with party ideology. He said he’s been familiar with Sununu and Brown for many years, but decided to support Brown.

“He’s got the background, he’s got experience, he’s got a proven, demonstrated interest in the people of New Hampshire,” he said. “We’ve got to get some stability in there, and we’ve got to get some people working for the constituents as opposed to the party.”