Chris Sununu

Christopher Thomas Sununu (/səˈnuːnuː/; born November 5, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Sununu was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from 2011 to 2017.

Chris Sununu
Sununu in 2017
82nd Governor of New Hampshire
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2017
Preceded by	Chuck Morse (acting)
Member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from the 3rd district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Beverly Hollingworth
Succeeded by	Russell Prescott
Personal details
Born	Christopher Thomas Sununu November 5, 1974 Salem, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Valerie Sununu ​ (m. 2001)​ [1]
Children	3
Relatives	John H. Sununu (father) John E. Sununu (brother)
Residence	Bridges House
Education	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS)
Website	Government website

Sununu earned a bachelor's degree in civil and environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has served as chief executive officer of the Waterville Valley Resort in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Sununu is a son of former New Hampshire Governor and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu, and a younger brother of former U.S. Representative and Senator John E. Sununu.

Early life and education

Family

Sununu, one of eight siblings,[2] was born and raised in Salem, New Hampshire.[3] He is a son of Nancy (Hayes) and former Governor of New Hampshire and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu. His father's paternal ancestors came to the United States from the Middle East around the start of the 20th century, while his paternal grandmother was born in El Salvador to a family of Palestinian Greek Orthodox Christians that had settled in Central America at the turn of the century. His father's paternal ancestry is Lebanese and Palestinian from the Greek Orthodox community in Jerusalem. Despite the family's emigration from Jerusalem, some members of the family were from Beirut, in what is today Lebanon. His father, John, was born in Havana, Cuba. His paternal grandfather, also named John, was born in the United States, and most of the last two generations of Sununus were also born in the United States.[4] His mother's ancestors include immigrants from Ireland, as well as Scotland and England.[4] When he took office as governor, Sununu was sworn in with a Greek Orthodox New Testament belonging to his family.[5]

Chris Sununu is a younger brother of John E. Sununu, a former U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative.[2]

Education

• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County, Virginia, graduated 1993.[6]
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, BS in Civil/Environmental Engineering, graduated 1998.[7]

Early career

Engineering

For ten years, Sununu worked as an environmental engineer designing systems and solutions for cleaning up waste sites[8] under the supervision of licensed engineers.[9] He specialized in soil and groundwater remediation, wastewater treatment plants, and landfill designs.[8] In 2002, he became an "engineer in training" in the state of California. [9]

Business

• In 2010, Sununu led a group of investors in the buyout of Waterville Valley Resort where he worked as Chief Executive Officer, employing over 700 people in the White Mountains region. Sununu led an aggressive expansion effort of the ski resort in cooperation with the United States Forest Service. The resort offers skiing, golf, tennis, mountain biking, and an ice arena.[10]

• From 2006 to 2010, Sununu was an owner and director of Sununu Enterprises, a family business and strategic consulting group in Exeter, New Hampshire. It focuses on local, national and international real estate development, venture technologies and business acquisitions.

New Hampshire Executive Council

Sununu was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from 2011 to 2017.[11]

10-Year Highway Plan

On December 16, 2015, the Governor's Advisory Commission on the Intermodal Transportation (GACIT) presented the 10-Year Plan for 2017–2026 to the Governor of New Hampshire.[12] Sununu, as a voting member of GACIT, helped develop the blueprint which "aggressively addressed financial constraint, assuming federal funding of about $160 million per year."[13]

Ward Bird

In 2010, Sununu joined the other four Executive Council members in voting unanimously to release Ward Bird from his mandatory three to six-year prison sentence for threatening another person with a gun. The council voted to grant a full pardon to the Moultonborough farmer, who was convicted of brandishing a gun at a woman who trespassed on his posted property in 2008. But Lynch, who has never granted a pardon during his tenure, vetoed the measure, saying the judicial system had given Bird's case a thorough review and he would not undermine it. The council then immediately voted to commute Bird's sentence, and Lynch let that vote stand.[14]

Sununu at a 2016 gubernatorial candidate forum steered by former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. and former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.

Managed Medicaid

In 2011, Sununu led a series of public hearings to review proposals for Managed Medicaid, a program to help New Hampshire Medicaid recipients to coordinate their health care.[15] It also helps Medicaid recipients with chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, obesity, and mental illness. Through this program, Medicaid recipients have wellness and prevention programs as a part of their Medicaid benefit.

In 2014, a 300-page, $292 million amendment to the state's Medicaid program came before the Executive Council only two hours before the scheduled vote. Republicans Joseph Kenney and Sununu urged the governor and other Democrats present not to vote for the contract, but lost the vote 3–2, along party lines.[16]

Governor of New Hampshire

2016

In the general election, Sununu defeated Democratic nominee Colin Van Ostern, 48.8% to 46.6%.[17]

2018

In the general election, Sununu was re-elected, defeating Democratic nominee Molly Kelly, 52.8% to 45.7%.[18]

Sununu was endorsed by the New Hampshire Troopers Association, New Hampshire Police Association, Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 104. In his bid for re-election, he was also endorsed by numerous New Hampshire news outlets, including: The Portsmouth Herald, The Union Leader, The Eagle-Tribune, Nashua Telegraph, Foster's Daily Democrat, Exeter News-Letter, Seacoast Online, and the Hampton Union.

2020

On May 14, 2019, Sununu announced that he would seek a third term as governor, rather than challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen in the 2020 election.[19]

After securing the Republican's party nomination, he went on to defeat Democratic Majority Leader of the New Hampshire Senate, Dan Feltes, in the general election with 65.2% to 33.4%.[20] In his win, he became the first candidate in New Hampshire history for any position to earn 500,000 votes.[21]

Tenure

Sununu was sworn in as Governor for a two-year term on January 5, 2017. Sununu was sworn in for his second term as Governor on January 3, 2019.[22]

In 2018, Sununu announced the nationwide launch of his Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative to engage employers and empower workplaces to provide support for people recovering from substance use disorder. More than 40,000 employees in the Granite State work for a designated Recovery Friendly Workplace. In October 2018, Sununu introduced the State's new “hub and spoke model” for addiction recovery. The model includes nine regional hubs (located in Berlin, Concord, Dover, Hanover, Keene, Laconia, Littleton, Manchester, and Nashua) which coordinate with local “spokes” to provide addiction recovery services. Hubs receive $9 million a year in funding, stemming from $45.8 million in federal aid to combat the state's opioid epidemic.[23] In March 2019 Governor Sununu announced that an additional $12 million had been allocated to New Hampshire to fight the opioid epidemic.[24]

On May 3, 2019, Sununu vetoed a bill that would have repealed the death penalty. He signed the veto at a community center named after Michael Briggs; as drafted, the bill would not have applied to Michael Addison (who killed Briggs in 2006). The veto was overridden.[25]

In November 2020, he instituted a statewide mask mandate,[26] leading to protests outside his house[27]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has criticized both Republicans and Democrats in Washington for a lack of relief packages.[28] He has also criticized members of Congress for getting early access to COVID-19 vaccines.[29]

Political positions

Sununu has vetoed 57 bills as governor, including 40 bipartisan bills in 2019.[30] One bill vetoed by Sununu would have raised solar net metering caps.[31]

Economic and fiscal positions

Sununu being interviewed on the Rich Girard radio program, February 2016

Sununu nominated 27 New Hampshire 'opportunity zones' to receive federal tax breaks for low income areas.[32][33] These included Waterville Valley, an affluent town dominated by the Sununu family's Waterville Valley Resorts. The family later expanded their investment in the resort, allowing them to "defer paying taxes on those gains for seven years and get a 15% discount on the tax liability. In addition, they could avoid paying taxes on any future capital gains from the resort if they hold on to it for a decade". The governor claimed that there was no conflict of interest, even though many other towns were far more qualified for the investment incentives encouraged by the program.[34]

Sununu has supported tax cuts for businesses and a reduction in property taxes.[35] Following the 2018 mid-term elections, in which Democrats regained control of the New Hampshire State Legislature, Sununu vowed to veto their proposal to create a state income tax, as well as several other new taxes and fees. Regarding health care policy, Sununu signed a bill making it easier for medical facilities to be licensed to treat veterans.[36] Sununu also opposed the Senate's Republican health care plan in 2017, citing that the proposal would negatively impact Medicaid and addiction recovery services in the state[37]

He supports legislation to provide state-funded "school choice vouchers to disadvantaged and low-income students"; such vouchers could be used at religious and private schools.[38] Following the 2018 mid-term elections, in which Democrats regained control of the New Hampshire State Legislature, Sununu vetoed a bill to establish a paid family leave policy for New Hampshire.[39]

Energy

In late June 2018 and again on June 4, 2019, Sununu vetoed New Hampshire Senate Bill 446, which would have increased the size limit for renewable energy projects participating in net metering from 1 megawatt (MW) to 5 MW. A veto override vote held in 2018 by the New Hampshire House of Representatives failed to achieve a two-thirds majority in favor of the override.[40]

In a statement about his veto of Senate Bill 446 (and a separate bill, Senate Bill 365), Sununu said the bills would collectively cost New Hampshire electric ratepayers (consumers) around $100 million over three years. "While I agree that expanding net metering could be a benefit to our state, Senate Bill 446 would cost ratepayers at least $5 to $10 million annually and is a handout to large-scale energy developers," Sununu said. "These immense projects should use incentives already available and compete on their own merits."[40]

Social positions

On abortion, Sununu says that he is not opposed to abortion rights, but does not support taxpayer funding for abortions and supports the ban on partial-birth abortion.[41] In 2015, as a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, he voted to defund Planned Parenthood.[42] He later reversed his position and voted to restore the funding.[43] In 2018, he said "I'm pro-choice. I support Roe v. Wade."[44] Sununu had supported other contracts with Planned Parenthood.[45]

He vetoed a bill that would ban the public from carrying firearms on school playgrounds.[46]

Regarding immigration, Sununu said he would refuse to send the National Guard to the border to enforce Trump's 'zero-tolerance' policy in regard to undocumented immigrants.[47] However, during a 2016 gubernatorial debate, Sununu stated he opposed the settling of 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States. [48]

Sununu is seen as supportive of LGBT rights; he said that he does not get involved with the state's GOP platform issues and he was a speaker at an event for the Log Cabin Republicans, a GOP political action committee that supports same-sex marriage and other gay rights.[49] In 2018, Sununu signed into law two bills intended to protect the rights of the LGBT community. He signed a bill prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity as well as a bill to ban 'conversion' therapy from being used on minors.[50] In 2019, he allowed a bill to become a law without his signature that created a non-binary gender option for drivers' licenses.[51][52]

Sununu is opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana.[53] In December 2018 he stated he would "absolutely" veto legislation "regardless of what the language looks like."[54] Speaking about the environment, in 2020 Sununu joined Democrats in supporting permanent funding for conservation efforts in the US, and particularly in New Hampshire.[55]

Personal life

In 1998, Chris Sununu completed a five-month through-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.

Sununu is an active skier and rugby player and, in 1998, completed a five-month through-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.[56] He lives with wife, Valerie, and their three children, Calvin, Edie, and Leo, in Newfields, New Hampshire.[57]

In November of 2020, Sununu came under criticism after concern was raised over his family profiting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through his father, John H. Sununu, who owns stock in Anglo Asian Mining Plc, an Azerbaijani mining company that profited from the conflict. [58] The holdings were estimated to be worth as much as $16 million as of November 10th, 2020. [59]

Electoral history

Executive Council 1st Term

In 2010, Sununu (R) defeated incumbent Executive Councilor Beverly Hollingworth (D) by a margin of 53,053 to 41,875,[60] or 55.9% to 44.1%.

Executive Council 2nd Term

In 2012, Sununu (R) defeated Bill Duncan (D) 75,856 to 55,432,[60][61] or 55.2% to 40.3%, with 4.5% going to Libertarian candidate Michael Baldassarre.

Executive Council 3rd Term

In 2014, Sununu (R) defeated Robin McLane (D) 61,601 to 38,420,[62][63] or 61.6% to 38.4%.

New Hampshire's gubernatorial election, 2016[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chris Sununu	354,040	48.84%
	Democratic	Colin Van Ostern	337,589	46.57%
	Libertarian	Max Abramson	31,243	4.29%
Total votes			724,863	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic

New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2018[64]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Chris Sununu (incumbent)	302,764	52.78%	+3.94%
	Democratic	Molly Kelly	262,359	45.74%	-0.83%
	Libertarian	Jilletta Jarvis	8,197	1.43%	-2.88%
	n/a	Write-ins	282	0.05%	-0.23%
Total votes			'573,602'	'100.0%'	N/A
	Republican hold

2020 New Hampshire gubernatorial election[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Chris Sununu (incumbent)	516,609	65.12%	+12.34%
	Democratic	Dan Feltes	264,639	33.36%	-12.38%
	Libertarian	Darryl W. Perry	11,329	1.43%	0.00%
	Write-in		683	0.09%	+0.04%
Total votes			793,260	100.0%
	Republican hold

References

1. https://twitter.com/ChrisSununu/status/763409508265701376
2. McDermott, Casey. "Growing Up Sununu: A Familiar Name Brings Both Benefits and Baggage to the Ballot". www.nhpr.org.
3. "Governor Christopher Sununu". dartmouth.edu. Trustees of Dartmouth College. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
4. Times, Special To The New York (1988-11-21). "Behind the Sununu Surname". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
5. DiStaso, John (2017-01-06). "Chris Sununu inaugurated as New Hampshire's 82nd governor". WMUR. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
6. Kleiner, Sarah. "Richmond's Maggie Walker governor's school might produce an actual governor on Nov. 8 - just not in Virginia". richmond.com. BH Media Group, Inc. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
7. Fox, Julie. "MIT Alumnus Elected Governor of New Hampshire". mit.edu. MIT Alumni Association. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
8. "2020 candidate profile: Chris Sununu (R)". WMUR. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
9. Rogers, Josh. "Sununu Says He's An Engineer, But Whether That's Technically True Is A Judgment Call". www.nhpr.org. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
10. McDermott, Casey (September 2, 2016). "Sizing Up Sununu's Impact on Waterville Valley". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
11. Pecci, Grace (7 November 2018). "Governor overcomes early deficit to earn second term". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
12. "Draft 10-Year Plan Letter" (PDF). Nh.gov. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
13. "Ten Year Plan addresses highest priorities / January 4, 2016". www.citizen.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
14. "Lynch, Council Free Ward Bird". info.nhpr.org. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
15. "NH Medicaid Care Management Program | New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services". www.dhhs.state.nh.us. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
16. "Executive Council approves Medicaid expansion contract | New Hampshire". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
17. "2016 General Election Information and Results". Secretary of State, New Hampshire. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
18. "New Hampshire Governor Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
19. DiStaso, John (May 14, 2019). "Sununu announces he'll run for reelection as governor, not for US Senate, in 2020". WMUR-TV. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
20. "2020 General Election". New Hampshire Department of State. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
21. "Biden's Big Win Can't Stop NHGOP's Statehouse Sweep". InsideSources. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
22. Rogers, Josh. "Governor Chris Sununu Sworn In For Second Term, Delivers Inaugural Address". nhpr.org. New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
23. Sexton, Adam (2018-08-15). "State rolls out plan to use $45M in federal money to fight opioid crisis". WMUR. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
24. Associated Press (March 21, 2019). "New Hampshire gets nearly $12M to fight opioid epidemic". Concord Monitor.
25. Chappell, Bill. "New Hampshire Abolishes Death Penalty As Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
26. "NH Gov. Sununu Issues Statewide Mask Mandate As Covid-19 Cases Rise". 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
27. "Group Gathers Outside Sununu's Home to Protest Mask Mandate in NH". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
28. Leader, Kevin Landrigan New Hampshire Union. "Sununu says 'fire them all' over failure on COVID-19 relief". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
29. GOP Gov. Sununu calls out Congress members for getting vaccine - CNN Video, retrieved 2020-12-26
30. Staff, NHPR. "Sununu Vetoes Two Additional Bills, On Teacher Tenure and Election Security". www.nhpr.org.
31. Early, Brian. "Dover council urges override for net-metering veto". fosters.com.
32. "Gov. Sununu Nominates 27 Tracts for Federal Opportunity Zones". New Hampshire Business Matters.
33. Garrova, Robert. "Sununu Nominates 27 N.H. 'Opportunity Zones' for Federal Tax Incentives". Retrieved 2018-07-26.
34. "A broken tax break?". December 5, 2019.
35. "Property tax is biggest burden for NH businesses - New Hampshire Business Review - November 10 2017". Nhbr.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
36. Cherry, Mike (2018-06-11). "Governor signs bill aimed at expanding health care options for veterans". WMUR. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
37. "Senate health care plan 'not viable' for New Hampshire, says Gov. Sununu". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
38. "Varied Views: Sununu, Kelly clash on school vouchers | News, Sports, Jobs - The Nashua Telegraph".
39. Rogers, Josh. "Sununu Vetoes Paid Family Leave Bill". www.nhpr.org. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
40. "N.H. governor vetoes energy bill citing high cost to electric ratepayers". Daily Energy Insider. 2018-06-20. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
41. "Where 2016 candidates for governor stand on issues". WMUR. 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
42. "New Hampshire defunds Planned Parenthood facilities". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
43. Levitz, Jennifer (2016-11-06). "Abortion Becomes Central Issue in New England Governors' Races". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
44. Steinhauser, Paul (October 3, 2018). "Democratic challengerKelly questions if Sununu is really pro-choice if he supports Kavanaugh". concordmonitor.com.
45. Rogers, Josh. "Kelly Says Threats To Abortion, Gay Rights Key Issues In Campaign Against Gov. Sununu". Retrieved 2018-07-26.
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49. DiStaso, John (2018-05-17). "NH Primary Source: Sununu says he 'doesn't get involved' in NHGOP platform issues". WMUR. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
50. "N.H. governor signs two pro-LGBT bills". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. 2018-06-08. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
51. "New Hampshire's GOP governor to allow nonbinary gender option on state-issued licenses". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
52. "Bill Allowing 'X' Gender On NH Licenses Becomes Law". CBS Boston. 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
53. McMenemy, Jeff (October 20, 2018). "Sununu opposes marijuana legalization". Seacoastonline.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
54. DeWitt, Ethan (December 14, 2018). "'The next major battle': Sununu charges against marijuana legalization". Concord Monitor. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
55. Ropeik, Annie. "Sununu Joins Democrats Pushing For Permanent Federal Conservation Funding". www.nhpr.org. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
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58. https://www.nhpr.org/post/mining-company-ties-sununu-family-poised-profit-after-peace-deal
59. https://www.nhpr.org/post/mining-company-ties-sununu-family-poised-profit-after-peace-deal
60. "Executive Council - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
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64. "2018 General Election Information and Results - NHSOS". sos.nh.gov.

External links

• Office of the Governor official government site
• Chris Sununu for Governor official campaign site
• Chris Sununu at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Councilor Christopher T. Sununu at the New Hampshire Executive Council, District 3, archived
• ABC News article on Sununu