Chris Pappas And John Sununu Duke It Out!

Regardless of who wins, New Hampshire loses. Both Chris Pappas and John Sununu will be focused on the status quo and aiding Israel.

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) and former New Hampshire senator John Sununu will face off in the general to replace Sen. Jeanine Sheheen (D-NH). 

The pro Israel Democrat and the pro Israel Republican will make this a close election.

Karishma Manzur, the primary opponent aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America was the progressive pick. Pappas was backed by pro Israel Dems, AIPAC and numerous Democratic officials.

Scott Brown, the former Republican senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand in the first Trump administration was defeated. He moved to New Hampshire in an attempt to defeat Sheheen, the first time. He was defeated by Sununu who was backed by President Donald J. Trump.

The race is Toss Up.

Kelly Ayotte, the current governor of New Hampshire easily won her primary. Ayotte was a senator before her defeat by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH). She will face Cinde Warmington, a former New Hampshire Executive Council member.

This race is Likely Republican.

Pappas, a four term lawmaker and openly gay U.S. House member faces a formidable opponent in a Republican with widespread name recognition in the state, hailing from a political family that's spent decades in its leadership.

Sununu, 61, represented New Hampshire in the House and Senate for more than a decade, before he was ousted by Shaheen. The son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu, his name carries significant weight in New Hampshire. In the GOP primary on Tuesday, he defeated former Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the Senate from 2010 to 2013.

Pappas, 46, has represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019, where he's a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. On the campaign trail, he's billed himself as an independent voice for New Hampshire. And he defeated a progressive candidate, medical scientist Karishma Manzur on Tuesday, despite a number of victories by insurgent Democrats elsewhere in the country this cycle.  

With 53 Republicans in the Senate, Democrats would need to flip four seats to gain control of the upper chamber, while defending a handful of seats, like in New Hampshire.

Although Republicans have controlled New Hampshire's governor's mansion since 2017, the state hasn't elected a Republican to the Senate since 2010, and a Republican hasn't won in the state at the presidential level since 2000. But Pappas has acknowledged that the race is "highly competitive," telling CNN last month that "it will continue to be tight until the very end."

Despite Democrats' recent successes in Senate and presidential contests, New Hampshire is far from deep-blue territory, with elections often decided by narrow margins. President Trump lost by 2.8 points in 2024 and 0.4 points in 2016, and Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan defeated Republican Kelly Ayotte — now the governor — by roughly 1,000 votes a decade ago.

Pappas is already fucking up. He trying to make this election about Trump instead about affordability and grievances about foreign policy. 

Pappas has sought to tie Sununu to Trump, who endorsed the GOP Senate candidate. In a victory speech Tuesday, Pappas cast his general election opponent as the president's "handpicked candidate."

"While New Hampshire families are struggling to make ends meet, John Sununu has thrown his lot in with Donald Trump," Pappas told supporters.

Sununu has strongly criticized Trump in the past, and has broken with the president since earning his endorsement, pushing back on the Trump administration's trade war with Canada. He has sought to keep the race's focus on economic and cost-of-living issues, and portrayed Pappas as a "career politician" on Tuesday. 

"He's not an independent voice for New Hampshire," he said in a victory speech. "Chris Pappas has three main qualities: ineffective, partisan, and out of touch with New Hampshire."