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MEMO: New Hampshire Democratic Party Launches “McConnell-Sununu Exposed” NHDP Will Expose McConnell’s All-Out Effort to Recruit Chris Sununu to Run for US Senate, Win Back Power in DC Sununu Would Be The Ultimate Yes-Vote for the McConnell-Sununu Agenda
Introduction It's the worst-kept secret in Washington: Mitch McConnell pines for Chris Sununu to run for U.S. Senate. And make no mistake: it has nothing, whatsoever, to do with what’s best for New Hampshire. Over the past few months, the Senate Minority Leader has done everything he can to push Sununu to enter the race for US Senate. He has launched a “full court press” to recruit Sununu, fawned over him publicly, and orchestrated millions of dollars in false ads in the Granite State. For McConnell, recruiting, cajoling, and begging Sununu to run is about power — plain and simple. Raw, special-interest-protecting, Washington-status-quo-preserving power — for Mitch, and not for New Hampshire. That’s why today, the New Hampshire Democratic Party is launching McConnell-Sununu Exposed, a new project that will shine a bright light on the aggressive, secretive, behind-the-scenes effort to get Sununu to run — and how the shared McConnell-Sununu agenda will hurt New Hampshire. Our message is clear: McConnell’s very public wooing of Sununu has nothing to do with what’s best for New Hampshire. McConnell knows that Sununu would be a rubber stamp for his agenda and is his ticket to winning back power in DC. That’s why McConnell and his allies are doing everything they can to get Sununu to run. McConnell-Sununu Exposed will act as a war room within The New Hampshire Democratic Party and will mobilize digital, communications, and organizing tools to expose Sununu’s close ties to McConnell — and make clear the threat that the McConnell-Sununu agenda poses to New Hampshire.
“Full-Court Press”: Chris Sununu Is Mitch McConnell’s Hand-Picked Candidate for US Senate
Chris Sununu used to say he didn’t want to be a US Senator and would never go to Washington. But unrelenting pressure from Mitch McConnell and his allies seems to have changed his mind. The Republicans’ “full court-press” has been aggressive. McConnell has admitted that he urged Sununu to run in a one-on-one phone call — a fact that Sununu tried, and failed, to deny a few months ago. McConnell has been effusive in his praise, telling Politico that “he’d be a great candidate” and “we’re hoping he’d make the race.” The Senate Republican Leader even dispatched one of his top lieutenants, NRSC Chair Rick Scott, to New Hampshire to personally urge Sununu to run. Scott himself has admitted that he calls Sununu “constantly” and is urging “everybody” to talk to him. And McConnell’s dark money group has already spent millions of dollars on falsehood-filled television ads aimed at laying the groundwork for a Sununu candidacy.
Sununu Will Be a Rubber Stamp for Mitch McConnell in the US Senate
McConnell and his out-of-state allies have gone all-in on pressing Sununu to run because they know he would vote with McConnell’s corporate special interest allies and their legislative priorities. How do they know? Because Sununu has a long record of publicly supporting the McConnell agenda — even when it hurts New Hampshire. Like McConnell, Sununu Stands Against Reproductive Rights: Both Mitch McConnell and Chris Sununu have a long record of attacking a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions and control her own destiny. Mitch McConnell led the effort to defund Planned Parenthood in the US Senate — and Chris Sununu was the deciding vote in New Hampshire to defund the organization. And as Majority Leader, McConnell has repeatedly advanced legislation that would ban abortion. In June, Sununu pushed through a budget that would ban abortion without exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomaly and will threaten basic health care — including cancer screenings and STD testing — from New Hampshire women. Sununu’s strong support for McConnell’s anti-woman, anti-choice agenda has already drawn a sharp backlash from Granite Staters — with nearly 200 health care professionals coming out against the ban and community leaders across the state rallying against it. And The Boston Globe last month reported that Sununu’s embrace of the type of anti-choice policies championed by McConnell is set to be a major liability in a US Senate race. Sununu Supported McConnell’s Tax Bill and Push to Gut Protections For Pre-Existing Conditions: Over the past five years, Sununu has repeatedly and very vocally supported Mitch McConnell’s policy agenda — particularly his efforts to raise taxes on middle class families and take away access to health care. As Governor, Sununu repeatedly made his support clear for Mitch McConnell’s tax bill, which raised taxes on middle class families while giving big tax breaks to corporate special interests. And in 2017, he publicly cheered on McConnell’s efforts to take away protections for pre-existing conditions and repeal the Affordable Care Act. Like McConnell, Sununu Opposed the American Rescue Plan: This year, Sununu sided with McConnell again, declaring that “I’d be a no vote” on the American Rescue Plan. The ARP provided critical resources to help get New Hampshire’s economy back on track. By opposing it, Sununu stood against much-needed funding to help students get back to school and small businesses reopen and rehire. He opposed significant investments in childcare so parents could get back to work, and rental and housing assistance aimed at helping people stay in their homes. By opposing the American Rescue Plan, Sununu made clear that he stands with Mitch McConnell’s obstructionism — and against New Hampshire’s economic recovery. KEY TAKEAWAY: Mitch McConnell wants Chris Sununu to be New Hampshire’s next Senator because he knows that Sununu would be a rubber stamp for his agenda. Chris Sununu’s potential candidacy for Senate has nothing to do with what is best for New Hampshire. Instead, it’s an effort by McConnell and his corporate special interest allies to elect a rubber stamp for their agenda to the US Senate. As Governor, Sununu has made clear that he supports the McConnell agenda. Sununu publicly backed McConnell’s efforts to raise taxes on middle class families, take away health care from Granite Staters with pre-existing conditions, and, opposed relief to help parents get back to work and small businesses reopen. Like McConnell, Sununu supports abortion bans and defunding Planned Parenthood. Over the coming weeks and months, McConnell-Sununu Exposed will shine a bright light on the threat the McConnell-Sununu agenda poses to New Hampshire and the efforts by McConnell and his dark money allies to intervene in our state and buy a US Senate seat for Chris Sununu — and themselves.