Sununu to Face Pappas in New Hampshire Senate Race - NOTUS — News of the United States # Sununu to Face Pappas in New Hampshire Senate Race The Republican and Democrat won their respective primaries to square off in November.
notus.org · September 8, 2026
Sununu to Face Pappas in New Hampshire Senate Race - NOTUS — News of the United States
# Sununu to Face Pappas in New Hampshire Senate Race
The Republican and Democrat won their respective primaries to square off in November.
Former Sen. John E. Sununu won the Republican primary to seek his old seat again. (Holly Ramer/AP)
By Associated Press
September 8, 2026 08:39 p.m.
By HOLLY RAMER and KATHY McCORMACK
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire primary voters chose candidates for Congress, governor and the 424-seat state Legislature on Tuesday, and incumbents weren’t the only familiar names on the ballot.
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, a Republican, will face Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in November in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, whose decision to not seek reelection created a cascade of competitive races.
Two of the eight Republicans hoping to replace the three-term Democrat were former U.S. senators she previously defeated: Sununu and Scott Brown. Pappas, whose departure from his 1st Congressional District seat in turn attracted a crowd of candidates, defeated four candidates in the Democratic primary for the open Senate seat.
Shaheen’s daughter, Stefany Shaheen, was among those seeking the Democratic nomination for Pappas’ seat, along with former candidate Maura Sullivan. Several other candidates in top races also were making repeat appearances.
Anthony DiLorenzo won the Republican primary in the 1st District, while Lily Tang Williams won the GOP primary in the 2nd. She’ll face U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat seeking a second term.
## Ex-GOP senators sought a return to Congress, while House member wants promotion
Sununu, who spent six years in the U.S. House and one term in the Senate before being ousted by Shaheen in 2008, has this time focused on themes including affordability for housing, healthcare and energy, holding Congress accountable and constituent service.
“I’ve been out of politics for 17 years. I’m not worried about reelection,” he said during a campaign stop last month. “I don’t need an appointment or a job. I don’t need to make anyone happy. I need to do one thing: Stand up for the people of New Hampshire.”
Brown previously represented Massachusetts, where he won a special election in 2010 after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy before losing in 2012. He unsuccessfully challenged Shaheen in 2014 and served as ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during President Donald Trump’s first term.
In a July interview, he said he decided to run again because New Hampshire Republicans have no representation in Congress and because, in his view, his experience as a veteran, lawmaker, ambassador and grandfather is unmatched.
He accuses Sununu — whose father and younger brother are former governors — of coasting on his name. Sununu also has the backing of Trump, despite having called him “a loser” in 2024, but Brown said that will just make him beholden to the president and other special interests.
“I’m the only truly independent candidate here who can actually vote on anything with a clear conscience and with New Hampshire’s best interests at heart,” Brown said.
Jim Loomis, 83, of Bow, said he backed Brown in 2014 but not on Tuesday because “he never got traction back again.” He acknowledged Sununu had been out of politics for even longer but still voted for him.
“I think what he’s done for work over the years has kept him close enough to what’s going on, and then with his family ties, I just think he’s got a more stable base,” he said.
Pappas, who is giving up his House seat after four terms, raised twice as much money as Sununu and Brown combined and dwarfed his Democratic primary opponents, as well. He also enjoyed a wide lead in polls, though recently lost some ground to scientist and democratic socialist Karishma Manzur.
Kristin Selesnick, 41, of Bow, said Pappas was a “fine” candidate but she doesn’t like that he accepts money from super PACs and that he voted “present” on a measure to restrict weapons sales to Israel instead of voting no. She voted for Manzur.
“I just like her whole platform,” she said. “I think she would be a great voice for the Granite State.”
## Open seat in 1st District attracts a crowd, while 2nd District was quieter
Stefany Shaheen and Sullivan were the leading candidates among seven seeking the Democratic nomination in the 1st District.
Shaheen is a former city councilor in Portsmouth. She founded a business to help people with chronic medical conditions after one of her daughters was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She also is part of a bio-tech initiative in New Hampshire to advance regenerative medicine.
Sullivan is a former Marine and Iraq War veteran who served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Barack Obama. A vice chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Sullivan ran for the 1st District seat in 2018, losing in an 11-candidate primary to Pappas in his first congressional bid.
On the Republican side, political newcomer DiLorenzo, who owns a chain of car dealerships and has been endorsed by Trump, won the Republican primary. He defeated three other candidates, including Hollie Noveletsky, a veteran and nurse practitioner who runs a steel fabrication company and ran for the same seat two years ago.
In the 2nd District, first-term incumbent Goodlander overcame a primary challenge from Paige Beauchemin, a progressive state lawmaker and nurse. Tang Williams, who was the nominee two years ago and was making her third attempt at the seat, won the Republican primary.
## Nominations for governor and down ballot races were also at stake
In contrast to the all-Democratic congressional delegation, Republicans dominate state government.
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte defeated two little-known opponents in her primary as she seeks a second two-year term. Cinde Warmington, a healthcare attorney, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Voters also were nominating candidates for the entire state Legislature, where Republicans hold a roughly 40-vote majority in the 400-member House and outnumber Democrats in the Senate 16-8.
Accustomed to going first when it comes to presidential primaries, New Hampshire is among the last states to hold state-level primary elections, leaving the winners just eight weeks to woo voters before Nov. 3. But legislation passed this year moves future state primaries to the second Tuesday in June.
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