Sununu Doesn’t See Being Governor as a “Real Job” and It Shows

MANCHESTER, NH — At this morning’s New England Council’s “Breakfast with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu” event, Sununu said, “So I'm not saying I'm not running again, but, you know. I've got to get a real job. It is not a career, right?”

Although Sununu believes being governor isn’t a real job, he certainly believes he should be paid more for it. He went ahead and gave himself a hefty raise of over $20,000 his first year in office — with another $31,000 raise in 2020.

In response, NHDP spokesperson Monica Venzke released the following statement:

“Chris Sununu doesn’t see being the governor of New Hampshire as a ‘real job,’ and it certainly shows. Since the beginning of 2023, he’s taken over ten out-of-state trips in an attempt to boost his national profile.”

“He has never viewed being the governor as anything but a stepping stone. At every opportunity, Chris Sununu has left Granite Staters in the dust to build his celebrity status.”

BACKGROUND:

• Sununu broke with the past precedent of not taking the full salary as governor, giving himself a raise. According to the Concord Monitor, “Twenty-thousand dollars is a big pay raise. That’s how much Republican Gov. Chris Sununu is making over his predecessor, after he broke with the past practice of accepting reduced pay [...] Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan took home a $110,400 paycheck each of her four years in office. She refused pay raises negotiated by the state employee union. Not Sununu. The day after he was inaugurated, a two percent salary hike kicked in for state workers and it bumped his pay up about $2,600.” [Concord Monitor, 1/14/17]

• Sununu accepted a $31,000 raise for himself while blocking a pay raise for Granite Staters. According to InDepthNH, “Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 while accepting a $31,000 routine pay increase as the state’s chief executive.” [InDepthNH, 10/5/20]