Former U.S. Senator and Republican candidate Scott Brown announced on WFEA’s The Morning Update that his primary opponent, former U.S. Senator John E. Sununu, has backed out of a scheduled, televised debate hosted by WMUR Channel 9 that was set for September 1, 2026.

Speaking in an exclusive broadcast interview on 1370 WFEA, Brown expressed sharp criticism over Sununu’s decision to skip the debate just days ahead of the upcoming primary election. Brown argued that primary voters deserve a side-by-side debate on televised media to weigh each candidate’s vision, record, and approach for the state and the nation.

The canceled broadcast was slated to be a pivotal match-up between the two GOP frontrunners leading up to the primary. While both candidates previously met on stage at a local committee debate earlier in the summer, this broadcast format on WMUR was expected to reach a statewide television audience.

Neither the Sununu campaign nor WMUR representatives have issued an official public statement regarding the change in the debate schedule.