Former New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu says he won't run for Senate, despite Trump's endorsement

Former Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu announced Tuesday that he will not run for Senate in xxx, two days after being endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Sununu made the announcement about not running for the seat of retiring Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on The Pulse of New Hampshire radio show.

"It’s just not for me," he said.

Sununu, 50, told The NH Journal that he made the decision after conferring with the White House and South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott and thanked them for their support. 

"But I don’t have to be the candidate, and I’m not going to be the candidate," he said. 

Trump said he met with Sununu at the White House before endorsing him, saying, "He's been very nice to me over the last year or so. I hope he runs. I think he'll win the seat." 

Sununu previously criticized Trump and his supporters. He also supported former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president in 2024 and wrote an op-ed for the New York Times in which he urged other 2024 presidential candidates to "not be afraid to attack Trump."

Trump responded to Sununu's endorsement of Haley on Truth Social, claiming that he is "politically dead" and "unpopular."

In 2021, Sununu said he wouldn't run for the Senate seat in 2022. He hasn't officially announced his run for the seat in 2026 but has expressed his interest in doing so. 

Other Republicans who expressed interest in running for the seat are former U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa Scott Brown, former chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party Lily Tang Williams and real estate developer Jack Franks.

Democratic New Hampshire Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander also said they want to run in 2026. However, only Pappas announced he would run for the Senate seat. 

As of Tuesday, Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas is the only candidate who has announced he would run for the seat.