Case Study: Stopping a Popular GOP Governor from Running for U.S. Senate

sununu abortion ban sign

Key Outcomes

  • Governor Chris Sununu declined to enter the 2022 U.S. Senate race against Senator Maggie Hassan.
  • Sununu’s approval rating fell to the lowest point of his tenure during a pivotal moment in the election cycle.
  • Sustained weekly media coverage of the “Sununu Abortion Ban” shifted the narrative, prompting public frustration from the Governor about losing the messaging battle.
  • Several of the abortion ban provisions we spotlighted—and helped make politically toxic—were repealed in the following legislative session.

The Challenge

Following the 2020 election, it became evident that New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu was seriously considering challenging incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan in the 2022 cycle. As one of the most popular governors in the country, his entry into the race posed a significant threat—not only to control of New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seat but also to the Democrats’ fragile majority in the upper chamber.

The Solution

Recognizing the stakes, we developed a strategic proposal for a program aimed at preventing Sununu from entering the race altogether. After receiving approval from a key funder, we assembled a team and, working through Amplify New Hampshire, executed a months-long, $4-million program designed to erode Sununu’s political standing.

We employed a strategic mix of earned media, paid media, and rapid response tactics to frame New Hampshire’s 24-week abortion ban as the “Sununu Abortion Ban,” casting it as an affront to the abortion rights widely supported by residents of the “Live Free or Die” state across the political spectrum.

Our efforts began in June 2021, when Sununu signed the ban into law. We were first out with a public statement condemning the action and followed it with a mobile billboard featuring the message “Stop Sununu’s Abortion Ban” circling the State House in Concord. We also saturated Sununu’s tiny hometown of Newfields with yard signs reading “End Sununu’s Abortion Ban.” Over the July 4th weekend, we flew a plane banner over Hampton Beach displaying the same message alongside a phone number for residents to call. We bird-dogged him as he threw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game in Manchester. We leveraged each of these tactics to drive earned media coverage locally and nationally. 

Our campaign ensured that the abortion ban remained a persistent topic of public discourse. Sununu was repeatedly confronted with questions about the ban during media interviews, where he grew visibly frustrated and even complained about the yard signs.

In September, we launched a highly effective digital and TV ad campaign that ran for two months. This campaign amplified the message and, as public and private polling showed, succeeded in driving Sununu’s approval ratings to the lowest point of his tenure. By October, the momentum of our efforts was clear. On November 9, 2021, Sununu announced he would not challenge Hassan for the Senate seat, eliminating the greatest threat to her re-election and bolstering Democrats’ chances of maintaining their Senate majority. Beyond the political victory, Sununu reversed several provisions of his abortion ban during the following legislative session.

Sample Media Coverage: