MAGA Uproar: Trump Backs Former Foe Sununu, Base Cries Betrayal

Paul Riverbank, 2/2/2026Trump’s surprise endorsement of former critic John Sununu reshapes New Hampshire’s Senate race, uniting GOP leadership but splitting the MAGA base. With establishment backing and strong polls, Sununu faces a tough general election, testing whether party unity or old divisions will define the outcome.

For Sununu, whose political lineage is as New Hampshire as maple syrup—his father was governor and White House chief of staff, and his brother just closed out a lengthy run as governor—this moment comes with more irony than fanfare. It wasn’t long ago that the Sununus were among the state’s most vocal Trump critics. John E., with little ambiguity, labeled Trump a “loser” in the state’s flagship newspaper before the last primary. The family’s endorsements often went elsewhere in the GOP primaries: first Kasich, more recently Nikki Haley. Hard to call it ideological kinship.

But politics has a knack for collapsing old grievances. Sununu’s rapid acknowledgement of Trump’s support—offering a cursory thanks before tilting back to the familiar script about local issues and everyday Granite Staters—was almost businesslike. He didn’t dwell on past differences. Whether that mollifies the state’s populist wing is another matter.

They were quick to fire back. Only hours after Trump’s digital missive, MAGA activists poured their frustrations onto social media, lambasting the Sununu brand for years spent undermining their movement. The skepticism isn’t subtle. “We will continue and intensify our campaign opposition,” one activist group posted to X (formerly Twitter). Old wounds don’t always heal on cue, even with the party boss’s blessing.

Sununu does have an easier path numerically. The latest UNH poll puts him nearly 20 percentage points ahead of Scott Brown among likely Republican voters. Brown, never a fixture in New Hampshire himself until his last political foray, is sticking in the race. The former Massachusetts senator and Trump’s handpicked ambassador to New Zealand still touts his MAGA credentials, suggesting the Sununu-Trump marriage of convenience is just that—a deal, not a true alliance. His campaign trails woefully in fundraising, too; Sununu’s war chest dwarfs Brown’s, giving the establishment favorite a substantial edge heading into the final stretch.

Behind the scenes, the Republican apparatus has almost universally folded in Sununu’s favor. The National Republican Senatorial Committee staked its claim back in the fall. Senate leaders lined up—John Thune among them—and the big PACs are writing checks. A single sentence from the Senate Leadership Fund said it all: with Trump’s seal, the primary is “over.”

Voters, though, are rarely so neat in their judgments. Across the aisle, Democrats see opportunity. Chris Pappas, a congressman with four terms under his belt, leads Sununu (and Brown, by a larger gap) in early general election polling. Pappas raised nearly double what Sununu did last quarter and sits on a $3 million-plus campaign account. His message, as soon as the Trump-Sununu news broke, was razor sharp: Sununu will “sell out Granite Staters” for political gain—a theme expected to dominate every attack ad to come.

Is Trump’s endorsement still the golden ticket in New Hampshire? The numbers don’t give an answer yet. Recent Republican primaries have depended as much on mood as on money, and loyalty in the post-Trump GOP has become a moving target. This year offers another test of whether party unity, even one forced by necessity, counts more than a candidate’s history of bruising local skirmishes.

Sununu now faces a race shaped by shifting alliances and bruised egos. The GOP establishment stands behind him, Trump’s brand rides shotgun, and the grass roots seem divided at best. As summer turns to fall, New Hampshire’s Senate race is primed to test how much political pragmatism, and how little political memory, voters are willing to accept.

Nobody watching the swirl of New Hampshire politics this year would have bet on a Trump-Sununu ticket. And yet, here we are: Donald Trump, who once lobbed public insults at John E. Sununu, has now thrown his weight behind the former senator’s bid for a comeback. Trump's online statement, full of the usual hyperbole—“COMPLETE and TOTAL ENDORSEMENT”—catapulted Sununu into a new political orbit, at least for this season.For Sununu, whose political lineage is as New Hampshire as maple syrup—his father was governor and White House chief of staff, and his brother just closed out a lengthy run as governor—this moment comes with more irony than fanfare. It wasn’t long ago that the Sununus were among the state’s most vocal Trump critics. John E., with little ambiguity, labeled Trump a “loser” in the state’s flagship newspaper before the last primary. The family’s endorsements often went elsewhere in the GOP primaries: first Kasich, more recently Nikki Haley. Hard to call it ideological kinship.But politics has a knack for collapsing old grievances. Sununu’s rapid acknowledgement of Trump’s support—offering a cursory thanks before tilting back to the familiar script about local issues and everyday Granite Staters—was almost businesslike. He didn’t dwell on past differences. Whether that mollifies the state’s populist wing is another matter.They were quick to fire back. Only hours after Trump’s digital missive, MAGA activists poured their frustrations onto social media, lambasting the Sununu brand for years spent undermining their movement. The skepticism isn’t subtle. “We will continue and intensify our campaign opposition,” one activist group posted to X (formerly Twitter). Old wounds don’t always heal on cue, even with the party boss’s blessing.Sununu does have an easier path numerically. The latest UNH poll puts him nearly 20 percentage points ahead of Scott Brown among likely Republican voters. Brown, never a fixture in New Hampshire himself until his last political foray, is sticking in the race. The former Massachusetts senator and Trump’s handpicked ambassador to New Zealand still touts his MAGA credentials, suggesting the Sununu-Trump marriage of convenience is just that—a deal, not a true alliance. His campaign trails woefully in fundraising, too; Sununu’s war chest dwarfs Brown’s, giving the establishment favorite a substantial edge heading into the final stretch.Behind the scenes, the Republican apparatus has almost universally folded in Sununu’s favor. The National Republican Senatorial Committee staked its claim back in the fall. Senate leaders lined up—John Thune among them—and the big PACs are writing checks. A single sentence from the Senate Leadership Fund said it all: with Trump’s seal, the primary is “over.”Voters, though, are rarely so neat in their judgments. Across the aisle, Democrats see opportunity. Chris Pappas, a congressman with four terms under his belt, leads Sununu (and Brown, by a larger gap) in early general election polling. Pappas raised nearly double what Sununu did last quarter and sits on a $3 million-plus campaign account. His message, as soon as the Trump-Sununu news broke, was razor sharp: Sununu will “sell out Granite Staters” for political gain—a theme expected to dominate every attack ad to come.Is Trump’s endorsement still the golden ticket in New Hampshire? The numbers don’t give an answer yet. Recent Republican primaries have depended as much on mood as on money, and loyalty in the post-Trump GOP has become a moving target. This year offers another test of whether party unity, even one forced by necessity, counts more than a candidate’s history of bruising local skirmishes.Sununu now faces a race shaped by shifting alliances and bruised egos. The GOP establishment stands behind him, Trump’s brand rides shotgun, and the grass roots seem divided at best. As summer turns to fall, New Hampshire’s Senate race is primed to test how much political pragmatism, and how little political memory, voters are willing to accept.