New Hampshire GOP Senate Candidate Blasts Trump on Iran, Russia

Republican John Sununu criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the first debate in an unexpectedly close New Hampshire US Senate race.

Sununu is seeking to pull off an upset victory over US Representative Chris Pappas and capture a seat now held by retiring Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, which would boost his party’s efforts to hold onto its Senate majority in a challenging climate for Republicans.

During the Tuesday morning debate, Sununu accused Trump of not doing enough to help Ukraine while acting overly friendly toward Russia.

A member of a New Hampshire political dynasty who previously served in Congress and the Senate, he maintains that it was a mistake to start the Iran war without a plan to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and has opposed the trade war with Canada. Sununu also vowed to vote against any budget that doesn’t shrink the previous year’s deficit.

“When his policies are wrong for New Hampshire, I’ll oppose them. If they’re right for New Hampshire, I’ll support them,” said Sununu, who has attempted to harken back to the pre-Trump GOP in a state the president has lost three times.

Polling has shown a tight race, though the most recent surveys give Pappas a lead and last week the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the contest from a tossup to leaning Democrat. Republicans have a $40 million to $31 million advantage in general-election ad spending in the race, according to AdImpact. It’s one of several races, including Michigan, Maine, Texas and Alaska, that will decide control of the Senate.

Sununu contended that the US shouldn’t buy diesel fuel from Russia because it provides an advantage to the country and “really has minimal impact on the markets here.” Trump has said the supply is for the global markets, not domestic use. A group of senators, including a handful of Republicans, is calling for the deal to be rescinded.

Pappas, who has served in the US House since 2019, countered that Sununu has a history of supporting “forever wars,” including backing the Iraq war in the 2000s. He criticized Sununu over his support for the Medicaid cuts and tax breaks for the wealthy in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The Democrat reminded voters that Sununu has the president’s endorsement. Trump backed Sununu in the Republican primary even though Sununu endorsed former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential primary, a contest that sparked a war of words between Trump and Sununu’s brother Chris, who was then New Hampshire’s governor.