Sununu’s Race Pace Puzzles Some In GOP

Tue. Apr. 29, 2008


It was supposed to be the marquee Senate race of the 2008 cycle, with popular former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Sununu in New Hampshire. So where is Sununu?

New Hampshire-based conservative blogger Skip Murphy, who partners with Doug Lambert on the site, GraniteGrok, said recently that “Sununu is not being too public about the fact that he wants to re-run.”

Although several Republican operatives have suggested New Hampshire residents might need some time to recover from voter fatigue after much of the presidential primary played out there for more than a year, Murphy expressed concern because Democrats in the state “are all fired up,” and New Hampshire Republicans have not been able to compete with the same level of enthusiasm.

“It’s a topsy-turvy time for Republicans in New Hampshire,” Murphy said. “But they don’t quite get it yet, or they don’t know how to handle it,” he said, referring to the explosion of online campaigning and the Democrats’ exploitation of it. With envy he mentioned Shaheen’s operation and Internet presence and said, “She gets it; he does not.”

One Republican strategist in the state not affiliated with the campaign suggested Sununu is relying on free media for the time being but that the race ultimately will come down to paid media.

But Murphy worried that even if Sununu’s campaign chooses to engage heavily on the Internet when the campaign ramps up later in the cycle, “at that point, it might be too late.”

Not to worry, Sununu’s camp said. “John has a job to do as a United States senator,” said campaign strategist Julie Teer, who also worked on Sununu’s 2002 race. “We’re right where we want to be and are following our campaign strategy according to plan.”

Still, Lambert, a self-described Republican activist, complained that “Democrats are completely defining John E. Sununu.” As an example, he said that while Democrats charge Sununu is marching in lockstep with President Bush on Iraq, Sununu’s Web site doesn’t mention the war or where he stands. “People want to know about that.”

In fact, Sununu’s Web site is fairly barren. The front page includes two quotes suggesting the senator’s nascent re-election strategy takes into account the turn in the state toward Democrats following the 2006 election, when both Republican House incumbents were ousted by Democratic challengers.

One of the statements is from a woman named Barbara White, who says Sununu “is his own man and doesn’t fall in lock step with all the things in the Republican Party … he supports environmental issues, he supports children’s health care, and he supports law enforcement.”

The news portion of the site is similarly skimpy.

But Sununu’s campaign is lacking more than Web content – there is still no way to get in touch with the official campaign. A staffer in the senator’s Washington office directed calls to his Portsmouth regional office, where a staffer said there is no phone number to reach the campaign.

Sources in the state say Sununu is in the process of building his campaign now. Staffers are being hired and keys were distributed last week for a campaign headquarters due to open soon in Manchester.

The approach, puzzling to say the least, has allowed Shaheen to define the race so far without having to defend herself or respond to his initiatives. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has stepped into the void with the TheShaheenRecord.com to disseminate opposition research on her.

Shaheen, on the other hand, is in full campaign mode and she recently wrapped up what she called her “Middle Class Matters Tour.” On Friday, she delivered what her campaign billed as a “major foreign policy address.”

Several Republicans contacted for the story pointed out that in his capacity as a senator, Sununu hosted two “New Hampshire Home Mortgage Workshops” in March. But he has yet to campaign on the topic; Shaheen has held events on the topic and has unveiled a handful of proposals.

One advantage Sununu does have is in fundraising. He has about $4.3 million in the bank, compared with $1.8 million for Shaheen.

Most polls in recent months have shown Shaheen with double-digit leads. A similar pattern was seen in the early days of the 2006 Pennsylvania campaign between incumbent Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and Democrat Robert Casey Jr. Santorum was never able to recover, leaving Democrats hoping they can stick to the same script this year.

by Erin McPike

Tue. Apr. 29, 2008

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