NH Redistricting: Republican Gov. Chris Sununu promised to veto the new congressional map that his GOP colleagues in the state Senate passed on Thursday "as soon as it reaches my desk," announcing his intentions almost immediately after lawmakers approved the long-stalled bill. (The plan was first introduced in November and was approved by the state House in January.)
Sununu didn't offer an explanation for his stance in the terse statement he issued Thursday, but he wasn't motivated by an opposition to partisan gerrymandering. Earlier this year, commenting on GOP plans to target Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas by making the 1st District redder—and the 2nd correspondingly bluer—Sununu said, "We're a purple state. From a political standpoint, I think Republicans can definitely win in CD2. Why would you concede that?"
By and large, though, Republicans have conceded the 2nd District, which has been held by Democrat Annie Kuster for a decade; even in the red wave of 2014, she still won by 10 points. (Her weakest performance actually came in 2016, when she prevailed 50-45.)
That's a key reason why the GOP-run legislature has sought to upend New Hampshire's congressional map—which has remained remarkably stable for 140 years—and transform Pappas' district from one that backed Joe Biden 52-46 to one that would have supported Donald Trump by a 50-48 margin. The 2nd, meanwhile, would shift from a 54-45 win for Biden to an even larger 57-41 Biden advantage, all but ensuring it would remain out of play for Republicans—as Sununu noted.
GOP leaders in the legislature didn't offer any substantive response to the governor’s pledge, but given the GOP's relatively narrow margins in both chambers and unified Democratic opposition to the map, an override is impossible. If Sununu carries through on his threat, therefore, the two sides will either have to forge a compromise, or else a court would have to step in to draw new boundaries.