Christopher Thomas Sununu (/səˈnuːnuː/ sə-NOO-noo;[1] born November 5, 1974) is an American politician and engineer who served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire from 2017 to 2025.

[2] His tenure focused on fiscal conservatism, tax cuts, business-friendly policies, and efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

A moderate Republican, Sununu took mixed stances on social issues, supporting some LGBT rights while restricting certain transgender policies.

His paternal grandmother was an immigrant from El Salvador, born to a prominent Salvadoran family of Lebanese descent who were Greek Orthodox Christians.

[10] Sununu graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia, in 1993.

[12] After graduating from MIT, Sununu attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts as a film student for two months.

[19] As a voting member of GACIT, Sununu helped develop the blueprint, which "aggressively addressed financial constraint, assuming federal funding of about $160 million per year.

"[20] In 2010, Sununu joined the other four Executive Council members in voting unanimously to release Ward Bird from his mandatory three- to six-year prison sentence for threatening another person with a gun.

But Governor John Lynch, who had never granted a pardon during his tenure, vetoed the measure, saying the judicial system had given Bird's case a thorough review and he would not undermine it.

[citation needed] On November 9, 2021, Sununu announced his intention to run for a fourth term as governor instead of challenging incumbent U.S. senator Maggie Hassan.

He won 57.0% of the vote in the general election, defeating Democrat Thomas Sherman and Libertarians Karlyn Borysenko and Kelly Halldorson.

The model includes nine regional hubs (in Berlin, Concord, Dover, Hanover, Keene, Laconia, Littleton, Manchester, and Nashua), which coordinate with local "spokes" to provide addiction recovery services.

[47] After his 2020 reelection, he called for newly elected Republican majorities in the New Hampshire House and Senate to pass a law phasing out this tax by 2026, saying that it unfairly targets senior citizens living off of these types of income and their retirement accounts.

[47] He also sought to slightly reduce other taxes, and to institute student loan relief for those going into health care and social work.

[49] He also opposed the Senate's Republican health care plan in 2017, citing that the proposal would negatively affect Medicaid and addiction recovery services in the state.

[51] After the 2018 midterm elections, in which Democrats regained control of the New Hampshire legislature, Sununu vetoed a bill to establish a paid family leave policy that would have instituted a statewide payroll tax.

[52] Sununu nominated 27 New Hampshire "opportunity zones" to receive federal tax breaks for low-income areas.

A veto override vote held in 2018 by the New Hampshire House of Representatives failed to achieve a two-thirds majority.

"While I agree that expanding net metering could be a benefit to our state, Senate Bill 446 would cost ratepayers at least $5 to $10 million annually and is a handout to large-scale energy developers", Sununu said.

"[56][57] In his 2020 budget address, Sununu proposed the creation of the New Hampshire Department of Energy, which he said will "streamline government" and "eliminate redundancies.

"[58] One focus of the department will be the development of offshore wind along New Hampshire's shoreline in the Gulf of Maine, a longstanding priority of Sununu's.

[76] In 2022, in response to reports that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade, he said, "I'm a pro-choice governor" and that he supports abortion rights in New Hampshire.

[80][81] In 2018, Sununu said he would refuse to send the New Hampshire National Guard to the US-Mexico border to enforce Trump's "zero-tolerance" policy in regard to undocumented immigrants.

[83] In 2018, Sununu signed into law two bills intended to protect LGBT rights, one prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in housing, employment, and public accommodations[84] and one banning conversion therapy from being used on minors.

Sununu vetoed a fourth bill that would have allowed businesses and government entities to discriminate against trans people.

[94] In 2023, he announced: "I stand ready to sign a legalization bill that puts the State of NH in the drivers seat, focusing on harm reduction—not profits.

[97] After the murder of George Floyd, Sununu established the New Hampshire Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency (LEACT).

[citation needed] In December 2021, Sununu asked President Joe Biden and FEMA for emergency response teams to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases in New Hampshire.

Executive Council 2nd term In 2012, Sununu defeated Bill Duncan, 75,856 votes to 55,432,[106][107] or 55.2% to 40.3%, with 4.5% going to Libertarian candidate Michael Baldassarre.