Poll: Republican New Hampshire Governor Sununu Greatest Threat to Democrat Sen. Hassan in Hypothetical Matchup

Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is the foremost threat to Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan in 2022 if he chooses to challenge her, according to a Tuesday report from WMUR9.

In a hypothetical 2022 U.S. Senate matchup, Sununu led Hassan 46 to 41 percent, according to a Granite State poll conducted between October 20-22 with more than 1,300 registered New Hampshire voters. Nine percent of participants chose  “someone else” and four percent are undecided.

The most recent poll presents an even better outcome for Sununu than a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released last week showing Sununu garnering more support than Hassan, 45 percent to 42 percent — “a virtual tie,” the report states.

Sununu has not officially announced whether he will challenge Hassan, though the poll results come only a few days after the governor said he will announce his decision in the coming weeks.

Sununu has also maintained a higher job approval rating than Hassan. According to the report, 44 percent approve of Hassan’s performance and 50 percent disapprove. In comparison, 56 percent approve of Sununu and 42 percent disapprove. His job approval has declined slightly from 64 percent, though he has reportedly still drawn “widespread support for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic” despite criticism from Democrats. The report states:

The poll found that 71 percent of voters approve of job he is doing addressing the pandemic, while only 27 percent disapprove. While Democrats disapprove of Sununu’s overall job performance by a margin of 73 percent to 25 percent, they approve of his handling of COVID-19 issues by a margin of 56 percent to 41 percent.

Overall, more than 80 percent of the voters in Sununu’s and Hassan’s own party support them. However, undecided voters prefer Sununu 48 percent to 34 percent.

“…Self-described “swing” voters, regardless of how they are registered, favor Sununu 49 percent to 20 percent.” according to the poll, which has a margin of error of ± 2.7 percentage points.