Weeks Before Launching Senate Campaign, Sununu Promotes Himself in Another Taxpayer-Funded COVID PSA

Sununu’s own administration found PSAs featuring the governor to be a “weakness” in their vaccination campaign

CONCORD -- As Chris Sununu plots a potential campaign for U.S. Senate, he’s promoting himself in another round of COVID PSA ads after his previous ads were largely ineffective in increasing vaccinations and his own administration found his ads were a “weakness” in the state’s vaccination campaign. In response, NHDP Chair Ray Buckley released the following statement: “Once again, Chris Sununu is making the state’s vaccination campaign his very own taxpayer-funded vanity project just weeks before he launches a potential campaign for U.S. Senate,” said NHDP Chair Ray Buckley. “The data from Sununu’s own administration made it clear that the PSAs featuring Sununu were ineffective — and as a result, New Hampshire now has the worst vaccination rate in New England with some of the highest hospitalization rates in the country and the biggest surge of COVID cases we’ve seen in a year. Instead of taking data-driven action to confront the COVID pandemic, Chris Sununu is shamelessly using taxpayer dollars to promote his political profile.” Sununu has been under fire for months for turning New Hampshire’s vaccination campaign into an effort to promote himself. In May, Sununu’s administration pushed for him to be the star of the taxpayer-funded vaccination ads that his own Department of Health and Human Services called a “weakness” in their vaccine rollout. Sununu continued to run those largely ineffective ads for months anyways using taxpayer dollars. As a result of Sununu’s ineffective vaccination campaign, New Hampshire’s vaccination rate is now last in New England as hospitalizations and cases surge. BACKGROUND: WMUR: Democrats Charge Sununu's New Covid-19 Vaccination PSA Politically Motivated WMUR: Democrats skeptical that new vaccine PSAs won’t continue to feature Sununu WMUR: NH Primary Source: NHDP Obtains Records Showing Governor’s Office Pushed to Include Sununu in PSAs WMUR: Democrats Charge Sununu Exploiting COVID Vaccine PSAs For His Own Political Gain NH Bulletin: Marketing firm talks clicks and impressions, but is it finding success getting people vaccinated? NH Bulletin: Expanded Contract Sought For Marketing Firm to Promote Vaccination NH Bulletin: Messaging is a Big Challenge When it Comes to Changing Minds Among the State’s Unvaccinated