Salem, N.H.; and Caribou, Maine | Oct. 28, 2026, 5:00 a.m. ET | 7 min read

As the scion of a Republican dynasty and a former U.S. House and Senate member, John E. Sununu doesn’t need much introduction in New Hampshire. Most voters already know him and his family, with their long line of federal lawmakers, governors, and White House officials.

Mr. Sununu, who lost his Senate seat in the 2008 Obama wave, knows what it’s like to face an unfavorable political environment. But the headwinds he’s facing in this election may be even worse. So in his run for his old seat, he’s trying to convince voters that he’s a different kind of Republican. Not that kind of Republican. Not a MAGA Republican.

Donald Trump? “I’ve never even met the man,” he says in a TV ad , pushing back against efforts by Rep. Chris Pappas, his Democratic opponent, to tie him to the unpopular president.

It’s an example of the hoops that many GOP midterm candidates are jumping through to overcome widespread Trump fatigue.…