Sununu Announces Run for Open New Hampshire Senate Seat

John E. Sununu, 61, announced he is running to reclaim the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. In a campaign launch video he framed his bid as an effort to “lower the temperature,” saying he will focus on the economy, jobs, debt, lowering health-care and energy costs, and protecting Medicare and Social Security. His entry sets up a GOP primary against former Sen. Scott Brown and prompted state Sen. Dan Innis to suspend his campaign and endorse Sununu; early polls show Sununu with a large lead among likely Republican primary voters. National Republican operatives and Sununu’s fundraising ties make him the party’s most competitive candidate to flip the seat. Sununu’s past opposition to Donald Trump complicates his path to a likely Trump endorsement. Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. Vice President Vance the countries have an unusually close partnership and said they would work together on a Gaza plan to degrade Hamas’s capabilities and help rebuild Gaza.