Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown is running for Senate in New Hampshire for a second time, he announced Wednesday.
“I’m running for the United States Senate to restore common sense, keep our border secure, and fight for our New Hampshire values,” Brown, a Republican, posted on social media Wednesday. WMUR first reported Brown’s plans to enter the race.
Brown, who served as Ambassador to New Zealand during President Donald Trump’s first term, praised the president — who narrowly lost the stateto former Vice President Kamala Harris last year — in his launch video, saying that Trump “is fighting every day to right the ship. He sealed the border, he stood up to China, and he restored our standing in the world.”
His announcement Wednesday makes Brown the highest profile Republican to enter the race to replace Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who decided to forgo a reelection bid in 2026.
Brown’s announcement comes after former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu decided against his own Senate bid earlier this year, even after Trump told reporters he hoped the popular moderate governor would run.
Democratic New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas launched his campaign shortly after Shaheen went public with her retirement plans. Pappas’ campaign was quick to criticize Brown following his announcement, accusing him of looking “for yet another opportunity to do Wall Street’s bidding and blindly support President Trump,” in a statement.
Brown, meanwhile, took a shot at Pappas in his launch video: “Chris Pappas wants a better title,” he said. “I want a better America.”
The shadow contest between Brown and Pappas has been playing out for months already as Brown laid the groundwork for a bid. Brown attacked Pappas for “supporting wide open borders, men in women’s sports and lying to his constituents about Joe Biden’s senility” when the Democrat launched his campaign back in April. Pappas has yoked Brown to Trump — a connection Brown appears to embrace both in his launch video and his recent social media posts. Democrats’ campaign arm has attacked Brown over abortion rights, among other issues.
Brown has been ramping up to another Senate bid for months, including attending GOP senators’ weekly lunch back in March and keeping up ties with Republicans’ Senate campaign arm.
