Over the past two years, Chris Sununu has evolved from a modest, pro-liberty, conservative governor into a miserable dictator. Like many other former governors, Sununu allowed the power of corona-fascism to intoxicate him. Now drunk with power, he is determined to hold onto it indefinitely. Human nature ensures that individuals in power nearly always seek to retain and expand their power. The position of governor in New Hampshire is not especially powerful. He does not have a line-item veto, he cannot create laws, and the House, Senate, Executive Council, and the courts are all designed to check his power. However, Sununu utilized the fear of coronavirus to expand his powers immensely, entirely shutting out the legislature and all other parts of the government for 16 months while he created law after law without any oversight. This power-grab earned him the title of dictator, which has now become quite popular in New Hampshire.
Although nearly everyone following politics in New Hampshire was sure that Sununu was going to seek a promotion to the US Senate next year, something has changed his mind. On Tuesday morning, the dictator announced that he will seek reelection for his fourth term as Governor.
As I explained in an article, Sununu’s expansion of his powers has caused him to lose the support of nearly every pro-freedom and conservative group in New Hampshire. Until a few months ago, Sununu was very popular among Republicans and had very strong support among independents and even some Democrats. He figured that he could unseat Senator Maggie Hassan, who is considered a heavy favorite against every candidate but who loses to Sununu in polls. But now that he’s realized just how little support he has (sources say that less than a tenth of House Republicans still support Sununu) he is too afraid to vacate his position as governor and chase a US Senate seat. He figures that he could still win reelection because incumbents always enjoy tremendous advantages in elections.
However, Sununu may be underestimating the influence of libertarians – and other opponents of dictators – in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Democrats have been scrambling to respond to the massive threat that libertarians present to authoritarianism in the state. Sununu himself said a few months ago that he was scared of how libertarians have taken over control of the NH GOP.
In regards to an official primary, the only candidate who has already announced a campaign is Karen Testerman, a conservative who is running as the liberty alternative to Dictator Sununu. There are rumors about former Senator Kelly Ayotte, Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut, and others.
