Rep. Chris Pappas cruised to victory in New Hampshire's Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, clearing the path for a general election matchup that could make him the first openly gay man ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
Pappas, a four-term congressman who was already the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in the House, will now try to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. His opponent in November spent some of Tuesday night framing the race as a referendum on incumbency and corruption in Washington, a message he's likely to keep hammering against Sununu, whose family has dominated New Hampshire politics for decades.
A Comfortable Primary, a Tighter General
Pappas's margin over Manzur, a medical scientist and member of the Southern New Hampshire chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, was decisive but landed short of what his campaign had signaled it expected internally. Manzur's run was part of a broader pattern this cycle of DSA-aligned candidates pushing establishment Democrats from the left, though unlike some of those races elsewhere, the insurgent challenge here didn't come close to toppling the incumbent-adjacent frontrunner.
The general election is where things get genuinely uncertain. Nonpartisan forecasters currently lean the seat Democratic, but a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released in late August had Sununu ahead of Pappas by two points, well within the margin of error. New Hampshire hasn't sent a Republican to the Senate since 2010, yet its voters are comfortable splitting tickets, having backed a Republican governor alongside two Democratic House members as recently as 2024.
Money and Messaging Already in Motion
Both campaigns pivoted to the general election almost immediately. Pappas has been running ads accusing Sununu, who served in the House from 1997 to 2003, of siding with pharmaceutical and insurance companies against everyday families. National money is already pouring in: Republicans' Senate Leadership Fund has pledged $17 million for the state, while Democrats' Senate Majority PAC plans to spend $10.2 million on television ads. Pappas's own campaign reported raising more than $15 million by late August.
Sununu, whose father and brother have both served as New Hampshire governor, previously held this Senate seat from 2003 to 2008 before losing reelection to Shaheen. He earned Trump's endorsement in the primary, a notable shift for a candidate with a more centrist reputation, and in a state Trump has never won.
Tonight's victory sends a clear message that voters are looking for leaders who will fight for their rights, their freedoms, and to be treated with dignity and respect.
Kelley Robinson, Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, who campaigned for Pappas in Manchester in late August, framed the win as part of a broader mobilization of what the organization calls Equality Voters. Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, told NBC News that Republican confidence in the state
Source: Washington Blade
Cover photo: Stephen Leonardi / Pexels
