Democrat Chris Pappas defeated Republican John Sununu in New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate race, becoming the first openly gay man elected to the Senate and boosting Democrats’ chances to control the chamber.
Pappas won about 60% of the vote as of 8:30 p.m., according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 8:20 p.m. Both candidates framed the contest around economic affordability, with Pappas blaming President Donald Trump for inflation linked to a war in Iran and tariffs, while Sununu promoted free-market solutions.
Pappas emphasized campaign finance reform and brought national Democratic figures such as Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and Gavin Newsom to New Hampshire, while tying Sununu to Trump, who has lost New Hampshire in three consecutive presidential elections and enjoys low approval ratings.
Sununu, a member of New Hampshire’s politically connected Sununu family, sought to position the race as a choice for the post‑Trump future, noting in a debate that “in two years, the president will leave office, and my question is, where do we go next?”
His defeat ends a lineage that includes his brother, former governor Chris Sununu, and his father, former governor and White House Chief of Staff John H. Sununu, who previously held the Senate seat from 2003 to 2009.
Pappas, a centrist House member since 2018, has a record of bipartisan votes, including support for the Laken Riley Act and opposition to the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, and was ranked the most bipartisan Democrat in Congress by the Lugar Center in 2023.
He has won five consecutive congressional elections and owns the Puritan restaurant in Manchester, and he said during a debate that he favors oversight and focused hearings over impeachment to hold the Trump administration accountable.
Source: newhampshirebulletin.com
