Chris Pappas Wins New Hampshire Senate Race, First Openly Gay Man Elected to U.S. Senate

Democrat Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, defeating Republican John E. Sununu and becoming the first openly gay man ever elected to the Senate, in a closely watched race that could help decide control of the chamber.^[1]

The Associated Press called the race for Pappas on Tuesday evening, confirming that the 46-year-old congressman will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen when she leaves office after three terms.^[1] Speaking to supporters in Manchester, Pappas cast his victory as a demand from voters for change in Washington, saying the campaign unfolded "against the backdrop of chaos, corruption and costs coming out of Washington" and that New Hampshire had voted for a "course correction."^[2] He argued that his win showed "Washington needs a new generation at the table to fix things."^[2]

Shaheen's decision on March 12, 2025, not to seek reelection at age 78 removed the advantages of incumbency in a state that had recently shown some movement toward Republicans, electing GOP Gov. Kelly Ayotte in 2024 even as Donald Trump again failed to carry New Hampshire in the presidential race. Shaheen first won the seat in 2008 by defeating then-Sen. John E. Sununu, 51.6 percent to 45.3 percent, and was reelected comfortably in 2020 with about 57 percent of the vote, underscoring how competitive but slightly Democratic-leaning the state has remained even as national politics polarized. In the Sept. 8, 2026 primaries, Pappas secured the Democratic nomination with 65 percent of the vote, while Sununu won 68.4 percent in the Republican contest, setting up a rematch between the Sununu family and the Democratic Party for a seat that has changed hands before.^[3]

Pappas ran what national outlets described as a relatively understated general-election campaign that largely downplayed his potential to make history and instead focused on local concerns and the broader stakes for party control of the Senate.^[1] Gay-rights advocates nonetheless celebrated his win as a landmark roughly four decades after Rep. Barney Frank became the first member of Congress to come out voluntarily in 1987, seeing the New Hampshire result as another sign that openly LGBTQ candidates can win major statewide offices even in closely divided states.^[1] Pappas, who has long been open about his sexuality, framed the night less as a personal milestone than as a mandate to "fix things" in Washington on issues like costs, corruption, and political dysfunction.^[2]

Sununu, who lost this same seat to Shaheen in 2008 and had been trying to stage a comeback, pitched himself as distinct from Trump's Make America Great Again movement during the campaign, but he struggled against voters' longstanding skepticism of Trump, who has never won New Hampshire in a presidential election.^[1] His loss underscores how even Republicans who distance themselves from the former president can find it difficult to escape the national party's brand in swing states where Trump's image remains a liability.

1. New York Times
2. PBS NewsHour
3. New York Times