NH-SEN: Innis drops out of U.S. Senate race, endorses John E. Sununu, who isn't officially a candidate

State Sen. Dan Innis became the first candidate in New Hampshire’s 2026 U.S. Senate race to drop out Thursday, and on his way out he endorsed John E. Sununu, who publicly said he’s considering a run but hasn’t officially launched a campaign.

Innis announced he was suspending his campaign in a statement posted online. He said he ran for the seat “because there was no real Conservative running” and that “Chris Pappas (a Democratic candidate) would be a disaster for our state, and I believe that only a true Republican with unquestionable Conservative credentials can defeat him next November.” However, when Sununu told WMUR he was considering joining the race earlier this month “all of that changed for me in an instant,” Innis said.

“If Senator Sununu decides to put his name on the ballot, there is no way that I would try and stand in his way,” Innis wrote.

Innis lavished praise on Sununu, who previously represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2009 and is part of the politically connected Sununu family. He called Sununu “the respected, experienced and trusted Conservative that I was hoping would jump in the race last spring.”




https://newhampshirebulletin.com/briefs/innis-drops-out-of-u-s-senate-race-endorses-john-e-sununu-who-isnt-officially-a-candidate/