Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown says Washington Republicans are trying to “tell New Hampshire how to vote” by lining up behind former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu in the 2026 GOP U.S. Senate primary — and he’s daring Sununu to meet him on a debate stage to defend it.
In an interview on the New Hampshire Journal podcast, Brown ripped the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and a Who’s Who of GOP senators hosting a major fundraiser for Sununu, even as Brown has entered the race and is barnstorming the state.
“Respectfully, these are the same people who couldn’t open the damn government for the longest one in our country’s history,” Brown said. “And they’re going to tell New Hampshire how to vote and who to vote for? How did that work out with Chuck Morse and Don Bolduc? They did the same thing.”
Brown said the NRSC may have picked its candidate, but GOP primary voters haven’t.
“DC is out of touch with what’s happening here, and I think John’s out of touch,” Brown said. “He’s been out of it so long. He has that globalist approach, working for the big banks after he did the TARP bailout and making millions from it. He has a lot of questions to answer.”
Brown, who has been visible at local events, house parties, and even rainy-day sign waves, said Granite State Republicans are already asking a basic question about his opponent: “John who?”
“When I’m out and about, people say, ‘Who the hell is John?’” Brown said, adding that some voters even thought Gov. Chris Sununu was the one running when they saw national coverage of the race. “There are a lot of Sununus,” he joked.
Brown said he believes Sununu will try to coast on his family name and national backing while avoiding direct confrontations.
“I hope he debates me,” Brown said. “I’ve heard he doesn’t want to debate me because I’ll kick his ass. I just will. I love to debate. I love to talk about issues. And I’m hearing he’s going to try to avoid debating me, just like Martha Coakley did.”
Brown said he’s prepared to debate “anytime, anywhere” — including on New Hampshire Journal’s debate stage, which has hosted previous GOP primary debates.
“I’ll do it right on your show,” Brown told the podcast.
Brown framed the Senate primary as a fight between insiders and an underdog who has repeatedly defied expectations.
“I’ve run 21 times. I’m 19-and-2,” Brown said. “That’s what they said back when I ran before. ‘He can’t win.’ Don’t underestimate me and the supporters that we have.”
He also took direct aim at the political dynasties that dominate state and national politics.
“This isn’t a monarchy,” Brown said. “I know we’re celebrating the 250th coming up, where we had kings and stuff. I’m kind of tired of the Shaheens, the Clintons, the Sununus saying, ‘Oh, this is Sununu royalty of New Hampshire.’”
“Listen, there’s no royalty in New Hampshire,” he added. “You know who the royalty is? It’s the hardworking men and women who are fighting paycheck to paycheck to make a living.”
Brown drew a personal contrast between himself and both Sununu and likely Democratic nominee Chris Pappas.
“I’m not a silver spoon person like John and Chris,” Brown said. “God bless that he had that ability to have that name and make millions of dollars from that. I’m salt of the earth — pull up your boots and go out and earn the vote. And that’s what I’m going to do.”
Brown said the NRSC’s decision to rally behind Sununu only reinforces his argument that national Republicans are trying to stage a “coronation” and shut out the grassroots.
“When (Sununu) announced, the grassroots and the activists and the veterans and the people who are tired of Washington, D.C. — especially after what they did to us over the last month and a half — they’re like, ‘Dude, I’m with you,’” Brown said.
He claimed early support from “veterans, Free Staters, and people who are disenfranchised with the coronation of John, or someone like John.”
“He or no one is going to outwork me,” Brown added. “If I didn’t raise another penny right now, I have enough resources to stay in the race and do exactly what we plan to do, which is to take it to the voters. It’s 50 percent plus one.”
Brown acknowledged that in a state where Republicans have struggled in federal races, some party insiders argue Sununu is the “only chance” to win a general election against Pappas. And he rejects that argument.
“That’s what they said in 2010 in Massachusetts,” Brown said. “Don’t underestimate me.”
Brown also noted Sununu’s record from his previous Senate tenure, including his vote for the 2008 TARP bailout, which Brown says Sununu later parlayed into lucrative work in the financial sector.
He contrasted that with his own record of bucking party leadership, including his famous 2010 victory that temporarily deprived Democrats of a filibuster-proof majority at the height of the Obamacare fight.
Asked about Trump’s role in the primary, Brown said he has reached out to the former president seeking an endorsement — and says he assumes Sununu has, too — but insisted the race won’t come down to a single stamp of approval.
“Would I like his endorsement? Of course. Would it help with the base? Yeah,” Brown said. “But I believe I already have the base, because they’re already supporting me.”
For now, Brown says, the real dividing line in the GOP primary isn’t Trump; it’s whether Republicans want another insider from a familiar family or an underdog who relishes a fight.
“You look at John’s opening video, it’s like, ‘I’m going to go down and do this,’” Brown said. “No, dude, you’ve got to go down and fight. It’s a battle down there. You’ve got to go down and actually make yourself known and roll up your sleeves and get in the fight. John’s not like that. He’s kind of a go-along, get-along guy. He’ll go and do whatever they say.”
Brown says he’s ready for that fight, starting with a debate, if Sununu shows up.
