Aol · Richard Cowan · September 9, 2026
WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The November battle for an open U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire will pit former Republican Senator John Sununu against Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, in a race that could determine which party controls the chamber.
Sununu and Pappas swamped their respective primary opponents on Tuesday night and were projected winners within an hour of polls closing in the small northeastern state.
Pappas, a moderate, had been the Democratic frontrunner since entering the race in April 2025, shortly after three-term incumbent Senator Jeanne Shaheen announced her retirement at the beginning of January.
He easily extinguished a late surge by progressive challenger Karishma Manzur, a medical scientist who is a member of the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter.
Sununu, who garnered President Donald Trump's endorsement in February, served a single six-year Senate term starting in 2003 before losing to Shaheen in 2008. He previously held a U.S. House seat for six years.
Sununu is the son and brother of former New Hampshire governors. He defeated several Republican candidates, including Scott Brown, who served a short stint as a U.S. senator representing Massachusetts several years ago.
But for all his name recognition across the state, Sununu could be hampered by the declining political fortunes of Trump, whose approval ratings have been hurt by inflation and the war with Iran.
Pappas and Sununu each have millions of dollars in their campaign coffers, and with one of only a handful of open Senate seats up for grabs, the race is likely to attract plenty of outside spending.
THE BIG PICTURE
Meanwhile, Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of the retiring senator, eked out a victory against ex-Marine Captain Maura Sullivan in the Democratic primary to replace Pappas in his House seat.
Shaheen bested Sullivan by 1,701 votes out of 76,675 votes cast among nine Democratic candidates and write-ins.
Shaheen, a former member of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, cit council will face Anthony DiLorenzo, an auto dealer who was projected by media outlets to win the Republican primary.
New Hampshire's Democratic and Republican primaries were among the last in this election cycle, setting the stage for a frenzied final two months of campaigning across the nation.
Currently, Republicans hold a 53-47 edge over Democrats in the Senate and are clinging to an even narrower advantage in the House of Representatives.
In taking on Pappas, Manzur had hoped to build on the momentum of progressive Democrats, who have scored a string of upsets in primaries in Michigan, Colorado, Florida and elsewhere.
But Pappas skated to victory with the backing of Democratic establishment figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Shaheen and Senator Maggie Hassan.
New Hampshire voters, notorious for their close attention to elections, have split their party allegiances. The state's two Senate seats and two House seats are held by Democrats while the governor's post and state legislature are in Republican hands.
In the 2024 presidential race, Democrat Kamala Harris beat Republican Donald Trump, 50.9% to 48.1%, in New Hampshire. But with 31.9% of voters registered as Republicans, 28.1% as Democrats and 39.9% as independents, according to the Independent Voter Project, elections in the state can be suspenseful.
In the state's other congressional Democratic primary race, Representative Maggie Goodlander defeated state legislator Paige Beauchemin.
Goodlander's fall opponent will be Republican Lily Williams, a real estate investor who is running for the seat for a third time.
New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte easily defeated two opponents to win the Republican primary and is favored to defeat Democrat Cinde Warmington, running unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the general election.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Michael Learmonth, Cynthia Osterman, Michael Perry and Nick Zieminski)