As Democrats' chances of regaining control of the Senate rise, a new poll suggests Republicans could be competitive in New Hampshire's open Senate race.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.
A Saint Anselm College Survey Center poll shows Republican John E. Sununu trailing Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democrats' likely nominee, 46% to 43% among likely voters.
Sununu, a former senator, comes from a prominent New Hampshire political family. His father, John H. Sununu, was governor in the 1980s, then White House chief of staff. His brother, Chris Sununu, was also the state's governor.
The same survey found former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown trailing Pappas by a wider margin, 48% to 37%.
Brown, the GOP's 2014 nominee, has lived in New Hampshire for more than a decade, but Republicans have raised concerns about his prior service in that other state.
A recent Emerson poll showed Pappas in a tighter race against John E. Sununu, leading 45% to 44%, and holding a larger advantage over Brown, 48% to 39%.
The Senate primaries are Sept. 8, with the general election Nov. 3.
"I think John Sununu has an excellent shot at this," former state Attorney General Tom Rath told Newsmax.
"One thing overlooked — Pappas has never run statewide. The 2nd District [seat held by Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat] is more Republican than the 1st [represented by Pappas], so that helps Sununu."
The Saint Anselm poll also found 58% of voters disapprove of President Donald Trump's performance, while 59% oppose the U.S. military operation in Iran.
Rath said John E. Sununu's past distance from Trump could help him with voters.
In the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Sununu supported then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich over Trump.
Trump endorsed Sununu for the Senate nomination last month over Brown, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand.
Trump described Sununu as "an America First Patriot."
Sununu has since moderated his criticism of Trump following the 2016 primary, when he wrote an op-ed in the New Hampshire Union Leader titled "Donald Trump Is a Loser."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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