RYE, N.H. —

John E. Sununu is officially running for the U.S. Senate seat he held for a single term two decades ago.

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Sununu announced his decision in a video in which he said that even he was surprised by his decision to seek the Republican nomination for the seat.

"Washington, as anyone who observes can see, is a little dysfunctional right now," Sununu said in an exclusive interview with News 9. "There's yelling, there's inactivity. We've got a government shutdown. Friends, family, they always say, 'Why would anyone want to work there?' And the short answer is it's important to New Hampshire. It's important that we have someone who knows how to get things done."

Sununu's entry into the race sets up a Republican primary with another former U.S. senator, Scott Brown, and a

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