Chris Sununu Age, Career, Politics, Family, Salary and Net Worth

A Photo of Chris Sununu

This article will answer every question you have about Chris Sununu. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.

  1. What does Chris do for a living?
  2. Who are Chris’s parents and siblings?
  3. What are Chris’s interests and hobbies?
  4. Is Chris married or does he have a girlfriend/boyfriend?
  5. Does Chris have any children?
  6. Where is Chris now?
  7. How tall is Chris?
  8. How much money does Chris earn?
  9. What is Chris’s net worth?

N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.

Who is Chris Sununu?

Christopher Thomas Sununu abbreviated as Chris Sununu is an eminent American politician and engineer who has served as the 82nd governor of New Hampshire since 2017. Being a member of the Republican Party, from 2011 to 2017, he was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council. He also has served as chief executive officer of the Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire.


His 2011 budget proposal included phasing out New Hampshire’s only state income tax on dividends and interest income (which he stated unfairly targets senior citizens more likely to be living off those types of income); slightly reducing selected other taxes and instituting targeted student loan relief for those entering the healthcare, biotechnology, and social work fields. In January 2021, he began his third term as governor of New Hampshire. That same year in November, he announced that he would instead seek a fourth term as governor in 2022. This was amid speculation that he would run in the 2022 United States Senate election in New Hampshire.

How Old Is Chris Sununu?

He is 48 years old as of November 2022, having been born on November 5, 1974, in Salem, New Hampshire, U.S. Chris shares his birthdate with celebrities such as; Kris Jenner, Odell Beckham Jr., Paige Mackenzie, Semaj Lesley, and many more.

Chris Sununu Family

Who are Chris Sununu’s Parents?

He was born to John H. Sununu (Father, born on July 2, 1939) an American politician who was the 75th governor of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989. And Nancy Sununu (Mother).

Does Chris Sununu have Siblings?

He has seven siblings by the name John E. Sununu (born on September 10, 1964, an American politician), Michael Sununu, James Sununu, Christina Sununu, Elizabeth Sununu, Catherine Sununu, and Peter Sununu.

A Photo of Chris Sununu
A Photo of Chris Sununu

Chris Sununu Education

He received his high school education at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology where he graduated in 1993. After graduating from high school, he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he graduated with a B.S. in civil/environmental engineering in 1998.

Chris Sununu’s Marital Status

He is married to the love of his life Valerie Sununu. They married in 2001.

Chris Sununu Kids

He and his wife Valerie have three kids by the name Calvin, Edith, and Leorbardo Sununu.

Chris Sununu Early Career

For ten years, he worked as an environmental engineer designing systems and solutions for cleaning up waste sites under the supervision of licensed engineers. Moreover, he specializes in soil and groundwater remediation, wastewater treatment plants, and landfill designs. In 2002, he became an “engineer in training” in California. He was also an owner and director of Sununu Enterprises from 2006 to 2010. Sununu Enterprises is a family business and strategic consulting group in Exeter, New Hampshire. It focuses on local, national, and international real estate development, venture technologies, and business acquisitions. In 2010, he led a group of investors in the buyout of Waterville Valley Resort where he worked as CEO, employing over 700 people in the White Mountains region.

A Career in the New Hampshire Executive Council

From 2011 to 2017, he was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council.

10-Year Highway Plan

The Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation (GACIT) presented the 10-year Plan for 2017-2026 on December 16, 2015, to the governor of New Hampshire. Chris, as a voting member of GACIT, helped develop the blueprint which “aggressively addressed financial constraint, assuming federal funding of about $160 million per year”.

Ward Bird

He went on and joined the other four Executive Council members in 2010 in voting unanimously to release Ward Bird from his mandatory three-to-six-year prison sentence for threatening another person with a gun. The council voted to grant Ward a full pardon. And Ward was convicted of brandishing a gun at a woman who trespassed on his posted property in 2008.

Managed Medicaid

He led a series of public hearings in 2011 to review proposals for Managed Medicaid. This is a program to help New Hampshire Medicaid recipients to coordinate their health care. Moreover, it helps Medicaid recipients with chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, obesity, and mental illness. Through this program, Medicaid recipients have wellness and prevention programs as a part of their Medicaid benefits.

A Career as Governor of New Hampshire

Elections (2016)

In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Colin Van Ostern, 48.8% to 46.65.

2018

He was reelected this time round defeating Democratic nominee Molly Kelly, 52.7% to 45.7%. He was then endorsed by the New Hampshire Troopers Association, New Hampshire Police Association, Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 104. Moreover, he was endorsed by numerous New Hampshire news outlets including; The Portsmouth Herald, The Union Leader, The Eagle-Tribune, Nashua Telegraph, Foster’s Daily Democrat, Exeter News-Letter, Seacoast Online, and the Hampton Union.

2020

He announced on May 14, 2019, that he would seek a third term as governor, rather than challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen in the 2020 election. After securing the Republican nomination, in the November general election, he received 516,609 votes (65.1%) against Democratic nominee Dan Feltes. This became the highest number of votes for an elected official in a statewide race and outpaced President Donald Trump (365,654; 45.4%) by about 151,000 votes of approximately 793,000 cast as Trump lost New Hampshire’s electoral votes.

2022

He announced on November 9, 2021, his intention to run for a fourth term as governor instead of challenging incumbent U.S. senator Maggie Hassan. In the Republican primary, he received 78.66% defeating Karen Testerman, Thaddeus Riley, and others. New Hampshire gubernatorial ballots are still being counted, but as of November 10, 2022, with approximately 95% of ballots counted, Chris is projected to win with 57.3% of votes counted over Democratic candidate Tom Sherman as well as Libertarian candidates Karlyn Borysenko and Kelly Halldorson.

Tenure

On January 5, 2017, he was sworn in as governor. And on January 3, 2019, he was sworn in for his second term and for his third term on January 7, 2021. He then announced in 2018, the nationwide launch of his Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative. This was to engage employers and empower workplaces to provide support for people recovering from substance use disorder. In October 2018, he went on and introduced the state’s new “hub and spoke model” for addiction recovery. On May 3, 2019, he vetoed a bill that would have repealed the death penalty. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, he has criticized members of Congress and members of the Biden administration for the lack of relief packages. Moreover, he has criticized members of Congress for getting early access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Political Positions

WMUR considers Chris a moderate Republican. And according to the National Review, he is a “fiscally conservative” and “socially moderate” politician in a similar vein to Rockefeller Republicans. In 2019, he vetoed 57 bills as governor.

Donald Trump

Unlike other Northeast Republican governors, all of whom chose not to support President Trump for reelection, Chris did and also voted for him. He then revealed in May 2019 that former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld approached him to discuss a potential primary challenge to Trump in 2020. but Chris described himself as a “Trump guy through and through”. He then went on and accepted Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 United States presidential election.

Economic and Fiscal

He opposes New Hampshire’s 5% tax on dividends and interest income. 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. Also, he sought to slightly reduce other taxes and institute student loan relief for those going into health care and social work. He also has supported tax cuts for businesses and a reduction in property taxes. In 2017, he opposed the Senate’s Republican health care plan, citing that the proposal would negatively affect Medicaid and addiction recovery services in the state. After the 2018 midterm elections, he vetoed a bill to establish a paid family leave policy that would have instituted a statewide payroll tax.

Energy

In Late June 2018 and again on June 4, 2019, he vetoed New Hampshire Senate Bill 446. The bill would have increased the limit for renewable energy projects participating in the net metering from 1 megawatt (MW) to 5 MW. In 2018, a veto override vote held by the New Hampshire House of Representatives failed to achieve a two-thirds majority. In his 2020 budget address, he proposed the creation of the New Hampshire Department of Energy. Which he said will “streamline government” and “eliminate redundancies”. According to him, The Department will combine many of the current functions of the Public Utilities Commission.

Social

He has said he does not oppose abortion rights. But does not support taxpayer funding for abortions and supports a ban on partial-birth abortion. As a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, in 2015, he vetoed to defunct Planned Parenthood. Later, he reversed his position and vetoed restoring the funding. In 2018, he said, “I’m pro-choice. I support Roe v. Wade”. Also, he had supported other contracts with Planned Parenthood. In response to reports that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade, he said in 2022, “I’ma pro-choice governor” and that he supports abortion rights in New Hampshire. During a 2016 gubernatorial debate, he said he opposed the settling of 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States.

The following year, he signed Senate Bill 12, which enacted constitutional carry in New Hampshire. And in 2018, he said that he would refuse to send the National Guard to the border to enforce Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy in regard to undocumented immigrants. Moreover, he is seen as supportive of LGBT rights. In 2018 also, he signed into law two bills intended to protect LGBT rights. One prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and one banning conversation therapy from being used on minors. The following year, he allowed a bill to become law without his signature that created a non-binary gender option for driver’s licenses. Furthermore, he opposes marijuana, He said in December 2018 that he would “absolutely” veto legislation “regardless of what the language looks like”.

Law Enforcement Reform

After the murder of George Floyd, Chris established the New Hampshire Commission on Law Enforcement Accountability, Community, and Transparency (LEACT). LEACT was created to examine police training and procedures and to report and investigate police misconduct and the relationship between law enforcement and New Hampshire communities. LEACT then submitted 50 recommendations to Chris in September 2020. Ranging from the creation of an independent oversight commission to review allegations of police misconduct to the recommendation that all police officers in the state wear body cameras.

COVID-19

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

Chris Sununu Height and Measurements

Adding up to his well-built body is a height of 5ft 8inches (1.73m) and a weight of around 70kg (154lbs).

Chris Sununu’s Salary and Net Worth

He has a salary of 143,704 and an estimated net worth of at least $2.25 million.