New Hampshire state senator and businessman Dan Innis is entering the race for U.S. Senate, joining former Ambassador Scott Brown in the Republican primary.
Innis previously ran for Congress in the state鈥檚 1st Congressional District in 2014 and 2016, but never won his party鈥檚 nomination. He has since served three terms in the state Senate, and is the former dean of the UNH Paul College of Business. He has also owned and operated multiple hotels and inns during his career.
In a video announcing his candidacy released Wednesday, Innis 鈥� wearing jeans and a T-shirt, surrounded by chickens and goats on his Bradford farm 鈥� targeted Democrats for their approach to immigration policy.
鈥淭hey think a wide open border is compassionate,鈥� says Innis. 鈥淭ell that to the families losing loved ones to fentanyl, to the towns overwhelmed by crime and chaos, and to the taxpayers who are footing the bill.鈥�
Innis also mentions the need to provide 鈥渂ackup鈥� to President Trump in his video.
鈥淚 believe in borders, law and order, and putting Americans first,鈥� says Innis. 鈥淚鈥檝e worked to lower your taxes and to stop illegal immigration. And when I鈥檓 in Washington, I鈥檒l call bull when I see it.鈥�
Innis joins Brown as the only Republicans to so far announce their candidacy for the Senate seat left open by the pending .
served in the U.S. Senate in 2010 in Massachusetts, but lost a re-election bid to Democrat Elizabeth Warren. He then relocated to his family鈥檚 second home in Rye, and challenged Shaheen in 2014. He lost that race, but in 2016 backed Trump鈥檚 candidacy and was rewarded with an ambassador post in New Zealand and Samoa.
Both Brown and Innis are already taking aim at Rep. Chris Pappas, who is the only major candidate to for the Democratic nomination. Pappas is serving his fourth term in Washington after previously holding elected offices up and down the ballot in New Hampshire.
He was endorsed by Shaheen, who her plans to retire from the Senate earlier this year when her term ends in 2026.
