State House Dome: Quotable Sununu quickly becoming national media favorite

Jul. 29—CHRIS SUNUNU is fast becoming Governor Hot Take.

Perhaps Sununu won't follow his father, ex-Gov. John H. Sununu, who became a CNN talk show co-host after finishing a stint as White House chief of staff.

But this outgoing governor certainly is taking names and making friends in the national media.

Sununu often has expressed skepticism that the next president will be Joe Biden or Donald Trump.

But CNN Morning Anchor Poppy Harlow looked like she might spit up her coffee when Sununu offered the wild but highly newsworthy claim that Biden would wrap up the Democratic nomination only to hand it back to party elders to give to someone else.

"I think he's going to collect all the delegates. And then I think you're going to see a wild convention where he and his people start steering the delegates somewhere else. I really believe that," Sununu said.

Sununu said a combination of factors, including Biden's health and his son Hunter Biden's legal troubles, will combine to make the incumbent unable to run the entire race.

"I don't know whether it's a grand scheme. I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I just think that's the way it's playing out. I don't think Trump or Biden are on that ticket."

House renovations?Voters in Northwood and Nottingham on Tuesday will settle a competitive Republican primary for the first of three New Hampshire House special elections over the coming months.

The race pits Northwood Selectman James Guzofski against Jessica Sternberg, a New Hampshire College Republican activist from Nottingham.

On Sept. 19, the primary winner will face Nottingham Democrat and Selectman Hal Rafter. This swing district seat became open when Rep. Benjamin Bartlett, a Nottingham Republican, resigned last April after missing almost every recorded vote.

In November 2022, Rafter finished fifth in a six-person race for three seats, but he was only 25 votes behind the third-place finisher.

The New Hampshire Young Republicans and 2nd Congressional District GOP nominee Bob Burns of Pembroke have endorsed Sternberg. The Northwood Republican Town Committee has gotten behind Guzofski.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee recently wrote a $25,000 check for this race and handed it to the N.H. Democratic Victory Campaign Committee and Chair Laura Telerski of Nashua.

Rep. Lilli Walsh, R-Hampstead, gave Guzofski $200 — nearly half his $450 war chest. Sternberg has not filed a report.

Rafter has nearly $4,000 on hand, including a $1,200 surplus from his 2022 race. Washington consultant Megan Hull gave him $240, and Nottingham financial adviser Tim Dabrieo kicked in $350.

If House Democrats run the table and win all three seats, the House would be tied, 199-199.

This scenario would leave both parties begging the two independents, former Republican Aidan Ankarberg of Rochester and former Democrat Shaun Filiault of Keene, to return to the fold.

Democrats will be favored to win the other two races.

On Aug. 22, voters in Enfield will pick either Democratic planning board member David Fracht or Republican businessman John Keane for the seat House Deputy Democratic Floor Leader Josh Adjutant left for health reasons.

In 2022, Republicans didn't even field a candidate against Adjutant.

On Sept. 19, Republicans get a do-over with David Narkunas and Joost Baumeister facing off for a Nashua Ward 4 seat after 21-term Democratic Rep. David Cote stepped down.

In March, Narkunas won a close primary vote, then lost to Democrat Mark Plamondon in the race to replace Democratic Rep. Stacie Laughton, who had resigned.

Democratic nominee Paige Beauchemin will be a heavy favorite in this Nov. 7 election.

Ayotte takes aim at Craig

Former U.S. Senator and GOP candidate for governor Kelly Ayotte will go back on offense with an attack on Manchester Mayor and Democratic candidate Joyce Craig.

The Dome got an exclusive look at the broadside, produced after Craig declined to say during an interview on WMUR's "Close Up" whether she would raise business taxes.

"Joyce Craig won't answer the simple question of whether or not she would raise taxes on New Hampshire's small business owners, because she knows her position is wildly unpopular," Ayotte said.

"Hardworking families cannot afford Joyce Craig's tax-and-spend policies. My answer is simple — no new taxes, period. "

Close Up Host Adam Sexton had asked Craig if she would support raising the business taxes that Sununu cut as governor.

"You know what, this point in time, I'm talking to residents and businesses, throughout this state, and listening to what's most important to them, and these conversations are what's going to drive me with policy as I move ahead, so I'm having those conversations with businesses and residents, and we'll make that decision later on," Craig said.

In response Friday, Craig confirmed her opposition to a business tax hike.

"I believe that we must lower costs for New Hampshire families, which is why I do not support a sales or income tax and would not raise taxes on New Hampshire's small businesses," Craig said.

Ayotte has big bucks

Ayotte undoubtedly will lead the pack when it comes to raising money. In 2016, she set a fundraising record in her U.S. Senate loss to Democrat Maggie Hassan.

Ayotte, who held her announcement kickoff at The Goat in Manchester on Monday night, already has $388,000 in a PAC.

Some of the GOP's biggest check-writers already have given the Kelly Pac far more than the $7,000 an individual can give Ayotte the candidate under state campaign finance law after she files for office next June.

Her former employer, ex-Gov. Craig Benson, kicked in $25,000, as did Anchor aviation exec Alexander Choquette of Portsmouth, Blue Sky Properties of North Hampton, Key Auto Group exec Anthony DiLorenzo of Portsmouth, Salem restauranteur Joe Faro, The Kane Co. real estate franchise and San Francisco, California executive Greg Wendt.

Sununu the peacemaker

Sununu says he will endorse someone in the GOP primary to replace him, but it won't be any time soon.

When Senate President Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, took some early digs at Ayotte, Sununu encouraged GOP leaders to hold their fire.

During an interview with Chris Ryan on New Hampshire Today, Bradley went beyond just the expected endorsement of ex-Senate President Chuck Morse of Salem.

"Even some of Kelly's most ardent supporters say... they think Chuck Morse would be a better governor, but they think Senator Ayotte is more electable, but I think when they understand how she gave away a Senate seat in 2016, he will look better," Bradley said.

A day later on the same program, Sununu took a playful jab at Morse, whom he said "acted like a 5-year-old on Christmas morning," announcing for governor minutes after Sununu said he wouldn't run again.

As for Bradley's comments, Sununu said Ayotte deserves better. "Anybody who is trying to criticize Kelly Ayotte is getting out of the gate a little too desperate, a little too fast. I get it — it's politics — but her record is really incredible."

Waiting for Edelblut

In politics, everyone gets impatient. The latest question is how long it will be before Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut of Wilton jumps into the GOP race for governor.

As a state agency head, Edelblut clearly has unfinished business, including some key department rules he has worked on with Board of Education Chairman Drew Cline.

Former GOP operative Greg Moore knows how that works. He was communications director for Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen, who had to finish his day job agenda before taking on Democratic Gov. John Lynch in 2010.

"You can't just run an agency one day and then the next say, 'See ya, I'm gone' and leave a whole bunch of people holding your priorities in the lurch. That doesn't go over well," Moore said.

Edelblut continues to make the rounds, attending the Londonderry Gun Club Auto-Machine Gun Shoot Out in Litchfield last week and serving as guest speaker to the monthly meeting of the East-Kingston-Newton-Kensington-South Hampton GOP Committee.

As we first reported on social media, Ayotte won a straw poll by that four-town Rockingham County group with 14 votes to nine for Edelblut and seven for Morse.

Moyer back on campaign

Democratic strategist Chris Moyer is joining the campaign of Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Cinde Warmington of Concord as a consultant.

In 2016, Moyer did press for New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire. He stayed and went on to manage former Democratic State Sen. Molly Kelly's respectable finish against Sununu in 2018.

Voting vendors display wares

Secretary of State David Scanlan will host a ballot counting device demonstration Wednesday in the Legislative Office Building.

The four potential vendors seeking to replace the aging AccuVote machine — Dominion Voting Systems, Election Systems & Software, and VotingWorks — will have their machines on display

Anyone seeking to attend the event is asked to register at eventsquid.com/event/21055.

Big week for DeSantis

Now that DeSantis has trimmed his campaign payroll and promised a reboot, this will be the biggest weekend of his campaign since he announced his bid.

It started Friday night with DeSantis joining guest Chris Sununu and all the major presidential hopefuls except ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for the Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa.

On Saturday, he was the guest of honor for a New Hampshire Homebuilders Association event, followed by a high roller fundraiser on Cape Cod.

Sunday, he was scheduled to be the star of the latest "No BS BBQ" hosted by former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and wife Gail Huff Brown in Rye.

On Monday, DeSantis has the first news conference of his New Hampshire campaign in Rochester.

A small political world

CBS News political analyst Jon Keller charged that Ayotte was playing off of a "racially tinged trope by blaming New Hampshire's drug problems on two Massachusetts border cities."

"Actually, a National Drug Intelligence Center threat assessment found that New Hampshire drug dealers and users are 'crossing the border into Massachusetts to obtain drugs,'" Keller said.

What's interesting is Keller's son, Barney, is president of Jamestown Associates, Ayotte's political consultant.

Exec Council on road again

The summer road trip continues for the Executive Council, which heads to Hypertherm Inc. in Lebanon for its meeting Wednesday. Warmington is the host councilor for this one.

New spokesperson for hospitals

Public relations executive Tammy Boucher is the new director of communications for the New Hampshire Hospital Association.

Starting out as a newspaper reporter, Boucher has had a 27-year career in strategic communications and founded her own PR firm 17 years ago.

She replaces Vanessa Stafford, who stepped down as vice president for communications in the NHHA.

New staff head for NH DemsNew Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley promoted from within Friday, naming four-year veteran staffer Jack Tormoehlen the new executive director.

Tormoehlen was most recently data director.

He replaces Troy Price, who is returning to his family in Iowa after being at the helm since August 2021.

.

Kevin Landrigan is State House Bureau Chief for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. Contact him at klandrigan@unionleader.com.