John E. Sununu, the former New Hampshire Republican senator seeking to reclaim his seat from retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), has a mixed voting record on supporting Israel that could reignite Jewish criticism and present an obstacle in a contested GOP primary.
Sununu, an Arab-American with Palestinian and Lebanese heritage and elder brother of former New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, opposed several pro-Israel resolutions in the late 1990s and early 2000s during his three terms as a congressman.
During his single term as a senator from 2003 to 2009, John E. Sununu was an outlier in his party, advocating more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.
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More recently, he’s tiptoed around taking a position on the Israel-Gaza war that’s become a flashpoint of U.S. politics and elections, even as he seeks the nomination of a party that staunchly embraces Israel.
During his three terms as a New Hampshire congressman from 1997 to 2003, Sununu opposed a series of pro-Israel resolutions, according to voting records.
In 1997, he was one of three Republicans to vote against a measure from then-Rep. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called upon the U.S. to affirm its support for Jerusalem to remain the undivided capital of Israel and urged U.S. officials to refrain from any contradictory actions.
In 1999, he was one of six Republicans to oppose a measure expressing opposition to Palestinians declaring themselves a free state.
In 2000, Sununu was one of two Republicans to vote “present” on a resolution expressing support for Israel and condemning the Palestinian Authority for violence. That same year, he was one of two Republicans to oppose the Peace Through Negotiations Act, which was against Palestinian statehood and would have withheld U.S. aid and resources to international organizations that recognize the region as a free state.
Sununu has long advocated that the United States should take a less involved role in expressing what Palestinians should or should not do. Sununu ultimately prevailed in his 2002 Senate campaign, but not without criticism and obstacles from the pro-Israel lobby due to his voting record, which some Jewish organizations and leaders perceived as anti-Israel.
In the weeks before his October campaign launch and prior to a U.S.-led peace deal announced by President Donald Trump, Sununu was asked by New Hampshire ABC affiliate WMUR if the Senate should put restraints on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza. Sununu said he was “not going to wade into foreign policy as I travel across New Hampshire to listen to people, to understand their perspectives, and, obviously, to make my decision.”
“I think dealing with Middle East politics is among the most complex, challenging, difficult things,” Sununu continued, “and the scale and the scope of the suffering, starting with Oct. 7, and the suffering we’re seeing today in the Middle East, isn’t something that’s going to be solved with a soundbite from me or anybody else.”
A Sununu campaign spokesman told the Washington Examiner that the Republican candidate supports Trump’s policies in the Middle East and Israel’s right to defend itself, but did not address Sununu’s voting record on the U.S. ally.
“John Sununu knows that peace in the Middle East has been elusive for decades, and he supports President Trump’s policies that have reshaped the dynamics of the region and brought about an historic ceasefire,” Mike Schrimpf, a Sununu spokesman, said in a statement. “Israel has every right to defend itself and remains America’s strongest ally in the region.”
Schrimpf also lauded the administration’s efforts to weaken Iran’s nuclear capability and support for the Lebanese government in disarming Hezbollah.
“With this bold approach, the administration has created an unprecedented opportunity for peace initiatives to move forward in the region,” Schrimpf said.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the leading pro-Israel lobbying group, did not respond to a request for comment about Sununu or whether it might get involved in the New Hampshire Senate primary and general elections. His primary opponent, former Massachusetts GOP Sen. Scott Brown, was among the top recipients of contributions from the pro-Israel lobby in the 2012 cycle, when he was ousted by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
Despite his string of anti-Israel votes, Sununu took several positions as a senator that were more in line with his party and in support of the U.S. ally. He voted in favor of defense spending bills in 2005 and 2007 that authorized military assistance to Israel. In 2008, he cosponsored a pro-Israel resolution reaffirming Israel’s 60th anniversary and “the bonds of friendship and cooperation between” the U.S. and Israel.
The Senate GOP’s campaign arm, which is supporting Sununu over Brown, said Sununu will be a stronger Trump ally on Middle East policy. In addition to Brown, the National Republican Senatorial Committee whacked Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), the likely Democratic nominee.
“Liberal Chris Pappas would appease Democrats’ pro-Hamas radical base and guarantee Jewish Americans and Israelis have one less ally in the U.S. Senate, while John Sununu will stand with America’s ally and support President Trump’s peace efforts in the Middle East,” NRSC Regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell said in a statement.
Brown, who himself has a checkered record on cultural issues that stand in contrast to conservative values, criticized Sununu on what he said “is not a complicated or nuanced issue for me.”
“Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and deserves the total and undivided support of the United States it has received under President Trump,” Brown told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “I have traveled to Israel, seen the threats they face firsthand, and long supported Jerusalem as the capital. I am deeply troubled by some of the eroding support for Israel — not just from the extreme voices in the Democratic Party but also some of the anti-Zionist views on the right.”
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Brown faced criticism in his 2012 reelection campaign, which he lost to Warren, for featuring a man in a campaign ad who was later discovered to have made antisemitic social media posts and derogatory remarks about Warren and former President Barack Obama.
The Brown campaign did not provide a comment about the episode.
