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BERLIN, N.H. — <\/span>It\u2019s been 24 years since a campaign commercial opened with a voter declaring<\/a> \u201cJohn Sununu represents the future.\u201d His current opponent, Scott Brown, is a grandfather who says that role gives him an edge.<\/p>\n Bucking national trends, the top candidates in New Hampshire\u2019s eight-person Republican primary for U.S. Senate are both former senators whose heydays long predate the Trump era. While voters elsewhere have embraced a decidedly anti-establishment sentiment this campaign season, New Hampshire Republican voters appear content with their choices and are poised to pick a familiar name over a fresh face on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Paul Martino, 57, of North Hampton, said he\u2019s supporting Sununu because he seems smart, honest and civic-minded and called him \u201ca good guy for this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need more people who try to find commonalities we can work off of versus differences we can use to be divisive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Republicans’ back-to-the-future approach will provide a stark contrast in November with Democrats,<\/a> whose primary includes both younger<\/a> and progressive candidates.<\/p>\n Sununu and Brown were among 27 former members of Congress who mounted comeback campaigns this year. Only nine have advanced to the general election, including several who have been out of office just for the last two years.<\/p>\n Sununu, who will turn 62 this coming week, served three terms in the U.S. House and one in the Senate before being ousted in 2008 by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring after three terms. He hasn\u2019t been on a ballot in 18 years \u2014 long enough for some babies born during his final year in office to reach voting age.<\/p>\n But just as being the son of a former governor most likely eased his entry into politics, Sununu is now benefiting from the popularity of his younger brother, Chris, whose eight years as governor ended last year.<\/p>\n When Sununu announced his campaign in October, Fox News broadcast a story misidentifying him as Chris, displayed multiple photos of his brother and combined their resumes. In June, a debate moderator introduced him as Chris. And late last month, a supporter at the Coos County Republican Committee BBQ snapped a selfie with him and told a reporter \u201cI liked him as our governor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, there\u2019s so many of them!\u201d Sudie Francouer, 82, said after being informed of her mix-up.<\/p>\n Sununu insists he\u2019s focused on emphasizing his own record of accomplishments.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure when Chris ran, people thought he was me,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cHis independence and focus on New Hampshire is certainly something he got from me, and that I\u2019ll try to emulate as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown, who will turn 67 this coming week, said Sununu is running on little more than his name and said he has encountered similarly confused voters.<\/p>\n \u201cThey say, \u2019Who\u2019s John? The father\u2019s running again?’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While he lags behind Sununu in polls and fundraising, Brown says he believes voters will break late in his favor.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not doing anything,\u201d Brown said of his opponent. \u201cI\u2019m going to outwork him.\u201d<\/p>\n In other contested primaries,<\/a> President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement often was the most coveted prize, but he’s barely registered in the New Hampshire Senate race.<\/p>\n Trump endorsed Sununu in February, even though Brown was his ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during his first term and Sununu called the president a \u201closer\u201d during the 2024 GOP presidential primary.<\/p>\n While the endorsement allowed Sununu to skip kowtowing to Trump to win the primary, University of New Hampshire political science professor Dante Scala said he was surprised Brown didn\u2019t make the race \u201call about who is the Trumpiest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes me wonder, well, maybe that\u2019s just not in him,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s from that earlier era, and it\u2019s hard to learn the new language.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown won a special election in Massachusetts after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy in 2009, lost his seat three years later and unsuccessfully challenged Shaheen in 2014. He acknowledges that the Problem Solvers Caucus he remembers from his time in Washington has largely been replaced by a polarizing \u201cyou\u2019re all in or you\u2019re out\u201d mentality. But he said his time away and lack of big endorsements make him more independent.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn can\u2019t break with the president. He can\u2019t break with all those special interests,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI\u2019m a freelancer. I have the ability to vote my conscience, because I read the bills. I see how they affect our state, country, debt and deficit and I vote, period.\u201d<\/p>\n Even without Trump\u2019s endorsement, Brown said he is more aligned with the current Republican landscape than his opponent. Sununu declined to discuss how the party has changed \u2014 saying \u201cI\u2019m not going to review 20 years of political history\u201d \u2014 but like Brown, he cites independence as the cornerstone of his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t need to worry about reelection. I don\u2019t need to make anyone in Washington happy,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll just stand up for New Hampshire.\u201d<\/p>\n Tuesday’s primary comes just eight weeks before the general election, and it’s unclear how the GOP nominee will fare when Trump is facing dismal approval ratings and voters nationally seem hungry for a course correction.<\/p>\n