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CONCORD -- One Nation, Mitch McConnell’s dark money group keeps dumping money into New Hampshire in a desperate attempt to pave the way for Chris Sununu to run for US Senate. Today, the dark money group launched yet another false attack ad as part of its clear effort to help entice Chris Sununu into the Senate race, make Mitch McConnell the Majority Leader, and put corporate special interests back in charge of Washington.
“Mitch McConnell and his dark money donors are again dumping millions into New Hampshire in a blatant attempt to buy our Senate seat for Chris Sununu and put Mitch McConnell and corporate special interests back in charge of the Senate,” said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. “Granite Staters know that Senator Hassan will take on the corporate special interests and stand up for New Hampshire — and that is exactly why they are spending so much dark money against her. Granite Staters will reject this blatant effort by Mitch McConnell and his corporate special interests to silence our voice in Washington.”
One Nation is a dark money group funded by shady special interests that is run by Mitch McConnell’s former Chief of Staff. The Washington Post has noted that the group has “close ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.” According to Open Secrets, “the dark money group has poured millions of dollars more into elections while avoiding FEC disclosure,” and funneled millions more to Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with McConnell to influence competitive Senate races.
One Nation and other McConnell-aligned groups have already poured millions into New Hampshire, and McConnell is aggressively courting Chris Sununu to run for Senate — in a clear effort to make Mitch McConnell the Majority Leader and put Big Pharma and other special interests back in power in Washington.
This is just the latest example of dark money groups paving the way for a possible US Senate campaign from Chris Sununu. Sununu has a long record of putting out-of-state special interests ahead of New Hampshire:
Mitch McConnell’s Dark Money Groups Have Spent $2 Million on Ads That Pave the Way for Sununu’s Senate Campaign. [FCC Public Inspection Files, accessed 10/12/21; Facebook Ads Library, accessed 10/12/21; Google Ads Library, accessed 10/12/21]
Chris Sununu Vetoed Campaign Finance Reform Legislation That Would Have Ended the Influence of Dark Money in New Hampshire Elections. As governor, Sununu vetoed a bill that would have closed the LLC loophole and stopped wealthy individuals from skirting campaign finance law. [WMUR, 7/11/2019]
Chris Sununu’s Gubernatorial Campaigns Have Been Fueled By Dark Money Donations and Special Interests. According to NHPR, Sununu’s gubernatorial campaigns “have long been fueled by contributions from an array of corporate entities” including fossil fuel corporations, insurance companies, and conservative LLCs. [NHPR, 6/18/2020]
Chris Sununu Vetoed Bipartisan Legislation to Create an Independent Redistricting Commission to Prevent Gerrymandering. “New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, vetoed a bipartisan bill Friday that would have created an independent redistricting commission to draw the state's voting maps.” [NBC, 8/9/2019]
Chris Sununu, Who Has Exploited LLC Loopholes, Opposes H.R. 1 Which Would Restrict The Use of LLCs to Fund Federal Campaigns. Sununu exploited a loophole that allowed him to use shell company LLCs to accept campaign cash above legal limits from his donors. H.R. 1 would restrict the ability to use LLCs to fund federal campaign activity. [NHPR, 12/5/2019]
Chris Sununu Opposes H.R. 1, Which Would Impose New Restrictions on Federal Lobbyists -- Like His Father and Brother. Both Sununu’s father and brother have worked as federal lobbyists, and as an Executive Councilor, Sununu voted to give state contracts to his family’s pharmaceutical lobbying client. H.R. 1 would impose new restrictions and disclosure requirements on federal lobbyists. [Concord Monitor, 10/19/2016]