Pappas And Sununu Win New Hampshire Primaries For Open U.S. Senate Seat
Rep. Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's Democratic U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday and will face former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu in the November general election for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.[1]
Pappas defeated Karishma Manzur, David Jarvis, Maxwell Saal and John Vail for the Democratic nomination.[1] He reported more than $15.3 million for the primary, compared with about $415,000 for Manzur, creating nearly a $15 million fundraising gap.[1] His campaign emphasized pocketbook issues such as housing, health care and everyday costs and proposed lowering taxes for working families, cutting prescription drug prices and curbing corporate influence.[1]
Pappas is a four-term congressman from New Hampshire's 1st District and a former member of the state Executive Council and the state House.[1] He is the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in Congress.[1] Pappas secured high-profile endorsements from Barack Obama, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris and New Hampshire Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.[1] Manzur, a medical scientist with no prior elected office experience, ran as a more aggressively progressive alternative and drew backing from Jamaal Bowman, Nina Turner and Progressive Democrats of America.[1]
The primary was framed as a test of the Democratic Party's direction, contrasting Pappas's pragmatic positioning with Manzur's ideological campaign.[1] Government ethics was a central theme for Pappas, including calls to ban members of Congress from trading stocks and to reduce the role of big money in politics.[1]
Show source details & analysis (2 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Rep. Chris Pappas defeated Karishma Manzur, David Jarvis, Maxwell Saal and John Vail to win New Hampshire's Democratic U.S. Senate primary.
- Chris Pappas will face former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu in the November general election for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
- Chris Pappas raised more than $15.3 million for the primary, compared with about $415,000 for Karishma Manzur, creating nearly a $15 million fundraising gap.
- Pappas's campaign emphasized pocketbook issues — housing, health care and everyday costs — and proposed lowering taxes for working families and small businesses, reducing prescription drug prices, and curbing corporate influence in Washington.
- Government ethics was a central theme of Pappas's campaign, including calls to ban members of Congress from trading stocks and to reduce the role of big money in politics.
- Chris Pappas secured high-profile endorsements from Barack Obama, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris and New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.
- Karishma Manzur was described as a democratic socialist and progressive medical scientist with no prior elected office experience and drew backing from figures and groups including Jamaal Bowman, Nina Turner, Progressive Democrats of America and 350NH Action.
- Chris Pappas is a four-term congressman for New Hampshire's 1st District, a former member of the state Executive Council and the New Hampshire House, and the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in Congress.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- On Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Rep. Chris Pappas defeated Karishma Manzur, David Jarvis, Maxwell Saal and John Vail to win New Hampshire's Democratic U.S. Senate primary.
- The article specifies that Pappas will face former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
- Pappas raised more than $15.3 million for the primary, compared with about $415,000 for Manzur, creating nearly a $15 million fundraising gap.
- Pappas emphasized pocketbook issues such as housing, health care and everyday costs, and campaigned on proposals to lower taxes for working families and small businesses, reduce prescription drug prices, and curb corporate influence in Washington.
- Government ethics was a central theme of Pappas's campaign, including calls to ban members of Congress from trading stocks and to reduce the role of big money in politics.
- Pappas secured endorsements from Barack Obama, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.
- Manzur, described as a democratic socialist and progressive medical scientist who has never held elected office, ran as a more aggressively progressive alternative and drew backing from figures such as Jamaal Bowman, Nina Turner, Progressive Democrats of America and 350NH Action.
- The article notes that Pappas is a four-term congressman for New Hampshire's 1st District, a former member of the state Executive Council and the New Hampshire House, and the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in Congress.
- The piece explicitly frames the primary as a test of the Democratic Party's direction, contrasting Pappas's pragmatic positioning with Manzur's ideological campaign.