Dirty Dozen 2002
John Sununu (R): Race At A Glance 2002
New Hampshire Senate

John Sununu (R)	51%
Jeanne Shaheen (D)	47%

View John Sununu's Dirty Dozen profile
Read the script to LCV's TV spot against John Sununu

The Race
In the most closely watched primary of the cycle, incumbent Senator Bob Smith was defeated by Rep. John E. Sununu. Republican strategists felt that Smith would be vulnerable in a race against Governor Jeanne Shaheen, and polling showed that Sununu would fare much better against her. The general election also drew national attention as a toss up race that could decide which party controls the Senate. Both candidates came out firing from the start, debating on social security, healthcare, and the environment.

The Environment
The environment was a top-tier issue for voters in New Hampshire. Sununu’s lifetime LCV score of 36 percent was the lowest House score in New England. His votes for subsidizing the coal industry and against cleaning up power plants put Sununu squarely on the defensive when compared to Shaheen’s work to enforce the Clean Air Act and hold polluters accountable. Both candidates engaged on environmental issues, clearly displaying their differences on air pollution control measures, Superfund reforms, and clean water protections. In their endorsement of Shaheen, the Concord Monitor noted that, “On issues that matter to New Hampshire citizens – the environment, education,campaign finance reform – Sununu consistently voted on the wrong side.”

LCV Activities
LCV named John E. Sununu to the Dirty Dozen on June 24, 2002, at a press conference in the State Capitol Building in Concord. During the primary campaign, LCV used an aggressive earned media outreach to compliment its five piece direct mail program that focused on water and health issues and reached 120,000 voters.

In the general campaign, LCV organized a field office to run precinct walks and literature drops. Volunteers from across New England pitched in to get the LCV message out to the voters. LCV also ran a TV ad that reached 84% of the state and focused on water quality issues and a community’s right to know about toxic emissions. LCV targeted 75,000 independent voters with a mail piece that complimented the TV ad. Throughout both elections, LCV’s actions were extensively covered by the local and national media with headlines like, “Sununu targeted among ‘Dirty Dozen’ by environmental group” (Associated Press, 6/25/02), “How Green is My Candidate?” (National Journal, 10/12/02), “Shaheen hits Sununu on Bad Air” (Concord Monitor 9/24/02) and “Senate forum focuses on Israel, schools, environment” (Concord Monitor 10/22/02).