Sununu seeking 4th term as governor, won't challenge Hassan

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday he’ll seek a fourth term and won’t run for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan.

Sununu won reelection last year by more than 30 percentage points.

Republicans had hopes Sununu would run and reclaim one of New Hampshire’s Senate seats, now in Democratic hands. Democrats now hold a slim majority in the 50-50 Senate by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris’ role as a tiebreaking vote.

At a news conference, Sununu acknowledged that many Republicans had urged him to run.

“I appreciate everything they’ve said and the confidence they have in me, but this is about New Hampshire, not about Washington,” he said.

But he said he thought Republicans can win back the Senate without him.