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John E. Sununu

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John Edward Sununu (born September 10, 1964) is a Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire. At age 43, Sununu is currently the youngest member in the Senate, collectively called unofficially the "Baby of the Senate".

Personal

Sununu, one of eight siblings, was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Nancy Hayes and former Governor of New Hampshire and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu. He has Lebanese, Palestinian, Irish, Scottish and English ancestry. Sununu earned both B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987 and an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1991. After graduating, he worked in the high-tech industry, at one time for the company of Dean Kamen.

Sununu and his wife, Catherine ("Kitty"), have three children: John, (Catherine) Grace, and Charlotte.

Sununu is the only current Senator of Arab descent and the third person of Lebanese background elected to the U.S. Senate.

Political offices

In 1996, Sununu was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was reelected in 1998 and 2000.

In 2002, Sununu ran for a United States Senate seat from New Hampshire. He defeated the Republican incumbent Bob Smith in the primary, then defeated Governor Jeanne Shaheen in the general election by a margin of 50-47. The result was clouded by a an illegal Republican phone-jamming operation that affected Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts. Three individuals, including state GOP executive director Charles McGee, subsequently pleaded guilty to criminal charges; a fourth, James Tobin, then Northeast field director for the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, was convicted but an appeals court remanded the case for a new trial.

John Sununu as a U.S. Congressman

In 1999, NH's Christian Coalition gave "pro-family" awards to both NH Representatives, Sununu and Charles Bass, honoring the vote by both men to impeach President Bill Clinton.

On November 8, 2000, the Boston Globe noted Sununu's defeat of Democratic newcomer Martha Fuller Clark, noting that Sununu had "one of the House's most conservative voting records" — opposing abortion and increased minimum wages while favoring school vouchers and the death penalty.

In 2001, the New York Times described Sununu as a likely contender for the Senate seat then held by NH's Robert C. Smith, calling Sununu "a three-term conservative considered to be on the fast track in the House." The article noted that Sununu's backers included "some of the biggest Republican names in New Hampshire" as well as antitax advocate Grover Norquist.

U.S. Senate actions and positions

Support for Bush administration positions

According to a Washington Post study, Sununu has voted the Republican position 84% of the time. During this Congress, he has voted against Democratic-led efforts to allow the importation of prescription drugs, against a bill that would require the Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription prices, and against efforts to expand stem-cell research.

Sununu's ongoing support for White House policy on the Iraq war has made him one of only four US Senators targeted by VoteVets.org, a group that decries his support He has opposed any timetable for withdrawing US troops, and recently helped block debate on Senate resolutions challenging Bush's troop surge.

He was among the group of conservative Republicans to vote against the prescription drug bill passed in 2003 and embryonic stem cell research bill, despite the support of fellow NH US Senator Judd Gregg in 2007.

Sununu was one of only three Senators whose voting record received a score of 100% from the fiscally conservative Club for Growth, which in February 2007 endorsed his bid for re-election.

Positions in opposition to the Bush administration

Sununu has taken some positions contrary to the Bush administration and the Republican leadership. He voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment and has voted to require child safety locks with the transfer of handguns. He opposes restrictions on travel and trade with Cuba, and was one of only two Republicans to vote in favor of terminating funds for TV Martí, which broadcasts anti-Castro programming in Cuba. He was one of a small group of Republicans to vote in favor of banning loans to China for any nuclear projects, and in September of 2005 he voted to disapprove a new rule set in place by the Administrator of the EPA delisting coal and other energy sources from the Clean Air Act.

He also has become well known as one of the five Republican Senators who joined Democrats in a filibuster of the USA PATRIOT Act renewal conference report. This caused the Republican leadership to extend the original legislation until a compromise bill was forged.

In January 2006, at a hearing in front of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on the Broadcast Flag, he was one of the very few present to criticize the legislation. He stated:

  • In all cases [of previous technological advancements in the US], we didn't need to step in with a significant statutory government-regulated mandate on technology that consumers use to enjoy this material,
  • I don't know of a case where we were discussing such a dramatic step where the federal government will legislatively mandate a specific type of technology to be incorporated in all of this material. Maybe the sky really is falling this time, but I think it is worth suggesting a little bit of skepticism, it's worth offering up a little doubt before we not just entertain this, but jump ahead to what exemptions were required.
  • The very technologies that some seem to be afraid of are driving innovation, and driving creativity as we sit here today. In fact, we have an unprecedented wave of creativity and product development and content development... I think the history of government mandates... is that it always, always restricts innovation. Why would we think this one special time... it will actually encourage innovation?

In October 2006, Sununu voted in opposition to the Military Commissions Act of 2006, suspending the right of habeas corpus for non-citizen detainees. In defense of the vote, he told reporters "The Constitution is not a suicide pact.

On March 14, 2007, Sununu became the first Republican senator to call for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales after a controversy over U.S. Attorney firings. Sununu cited his anger with the mismanagement by Gonzales and the lack of trustworthiness by GOP Senators towards Gonzales.

Environmental record

Sununu has been criticized by independent environmental groups such as the League of Conservation Voters for weakening land use laws, subsidizing environmentally destructive coal-fired plants, and relaxing toxic cleanup laws as a U.S. Representative. His lifetime performance on the LCV scorecard, a method of tarcking politicians' voting record on environmental legislation, was 29% as a member of the House. As a Senator, Sununu has cast doubt on human causes of global warming, and opposed the Lieberman-McCain amendment to the Climate Stewardship Act. Environmental groups have opposed Sununu over his policies regarding the regulation of water pollution in New Hampshire and his support for oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, among other positions.

Other actions during his term in the Senate

In July 2005, to show solidarity with Senator Arlen Specter, who had lost his hair due to chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease, Sununu shaved his head.

Committee Assignments

  • Committee on Finance
  • Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

    • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
    • Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism
    • Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
    • Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Innovation
    • Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics, and Related Agencies
  • Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

    • Ad Hoc Subcommittee on State, Local, and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration (Ranking Member)
    • Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
    • Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security
  • Joint Economic Committee

Election 2008

Sununu's current term ends in January 2009 and he is expected to run for re-election. Because Sununu 's victory was close (50-47%) in 2002, a Republican year, the Democratic Party has made his New Hampshire seat a top target in 2008. In the 2006 election, Democrats won both of the state's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives as well as majorities in both houses of the New Hampshire General Court, and the governorship was won by Democrat John Lynch, with 74% of the vote.

A November 2006 SurveyUSA poll of New Hampshire voters found Sununu had a 47% approval rating.. A February 1, 2007 poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire found that only 45% of New Hampshire voters held a favorable opinion of Sununu. Political analyst Larry Sabato, following Jeanne Shaheen's entrance into the race, has listed the race as "Leans Democratic.

Electoral history

 : Results 1996–2000
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1996 Joe Keefe 115,462 47% 123,939 50% Gary A. Flanders Libertarian 8,176 3%
1998 Peter Flood 51,783 33% 104,430 67%
2000 128,387 45% 150,609 53% Dan Belforti Libertarian 5,713 2%

New Hampshire Senator (Class II) results: 2002
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
2002 207,478 46% 227,229 51% Ken Blevens Libertarian 9,835 2% Bob Smith Write-in 2,396 1% *
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2002, write-ins received 197 votes.

References

External links



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