Comments by Eric Adams and NYPD that city has ‘no involvement’ follow protests over raids related to ‘selling counterfeit goods’
New Hampshire Republican John E. Sununu announced a campaign for US Senate on Wednesday, hoping to reclaim a seat he lost nearly two decades ago and boosting the GOP’s chances of regaining a foothold in a region overwhelmingly represented by Democrats.
Sununu, 61, is seeking the Republican nomination for the seat being vacated by US Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat who ousted him in 2008. His decision sets up a primary featuring two former senators: Republican Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire and losing to Shaheen in 2014, has been running since June.
“Maybe you’re surprised to hear that I’m running for the Senate again. I’m a bit surprised myself,” Sununu said in a video announcement. “Why would anyone subject themselves to everything going on there right now? Well, somebody has to step up and lower the temperature. Somebody has to get things done.”
Senate Republicans, who hold a 53-47 advantage, are defending seats in Ohio, Maine and North Carolina against a slate of high-profile Democratic candidates. But Republicans are also on the offensive in places like Michigan, Georgia and now, increasingly, New Hampshire – and if they flip one of those seats it will probably put the chamber out of reach for Democrats until at least 2028.
Sununu must first win the primary though, and his past opposition to President Donald Trump could be problematic. While Brown has aligned himself closely with Trump and served as his US ambassador to New Zealand, Sununu backed Nikki Haley in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, writing an op-ed calling Trump a “loser.”
Trump went on to win New Hampshire’s leadoff primary, but the state’s voters rejected him for a third time in the general election. And while Republicans control the Statehouse and governor’s office, Democrats have held all four of New Hampshire’s congressional seats since 2017.
Sununu served three terms in the US House before being elected to the Senate at age 38. He’s now the same age Shaheen was when she defeated him and is 16 years older than US Rep. Chris Pappas, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Sununu said Congress has become “loud, dysfunctional, even angry” in his time away, but said he hopes to return “to help calm the waters,” while focusing on the economy, veterans, health care costs and Social Security.
Pappas’ campaign countered that he is the one who has been fighting to lower costs for working families, seniors and small businesses while Sununu has spent years “cashing in and making millions selling out to corporations and working for special interests”.
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. We start with the news that the mayor of New York City has said that the city has had “no involvement” in the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) raids in Chinatown related to “selling counterfeit goods”.
New York City does not cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportations, in accordance with our local laws.
While we gather details about the situation, New Yorkers should know that we have no involvement. Our administration has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue their American Dreams should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals.
