Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu won their respective Senate primaries Tuesday in New Hampshire, formalizing a fall matchup for an open seat that both sides have already begun fighting over. With over 80 percent of votes counted, Pappas was leading biochemist Karishma Manzur, 65 percent to 33 percent, The […]
Roll Call · Mary Ellen McIntire · September 9, 2026
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu won their respective Senate primaries Tuesday in New Hampshire, formalizing a fall matchup for an open seat that both sides have already begun fighting over.
With over 80 percent of votes counted, Pappas was leading biochemist Karishma Manzur, 65 percent to 33 percent, The Associated Press reported, while Sununu was ahead of former Massachusetts Sen. Scott P. Brown, 68 percent to about 27 percent, with close to 80 percent of the estimated vote in.
In the race for the battleground House seat Pappas is vacating, former Portsmouth City Councilor Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, clinched the Democratic nomination, besting a crowded primary field. With nearly 90 percent of votes counted, she was leading Marine Corps veteran Maura Sullivan 37 percent to 35 percent just before 1 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, the AP reported.
The Senate race to succeed the senior Shaheen in New Hampshire could be crucial to deciding control of the chamber this fall, and both parties are bracing for a tight general election. Pappas has warned Democrats not to take the contest for granted, even though Republicans haven’t won a Senate race in the state since 2010.
Republicans, though, have been upbeat over recent polling that showed a margin-of-error race between Sununu and Pappas. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales changed its race rating last week from Tilt Democratic to Toss-up.
“As Senator, I’ll have just one job: stand up for the people of New Hampshire every single day,” Sununu said in a statement Tuesday. “We will keep listening, keep working, and stay laser-focused on the economy, jobs, and making life more affordable.”
Senate Democrats have expanded the battleground map this year and are competing for seats in red states such as Ohio, Iowa and Alaska. They need a net gain of four seats to flip the chamber, but a Republican victory in New Hampshire could be an important step in helping the party defend its Senate majority.
Both parties are expeted to cast their nominee as best suited to represent the politically savvy state, and, perhaps even more so, to portray the opposing candidate as a Washington insider.
“After personally recruiting Sununu to run, Leader John Thune and Senate Republicans have expanded the map and are poised to flip the Granite State,” Alex Latcham, the executive director of the GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, said in a statement. “From now until November, SLF will spend every day highlighting John E. Sununu’s positive vision for New Hampshire while exposing the corruption, self-dealing, and radical record of Washington insider Chris Pappas.”
Sununu, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement, is attempting a political comeback 18 years after he lost reelection to Jeanne Shaheen after a term in the Senate. He entered the Senate race last year with significant name recognition, given his family’s long involvement in New Hampshire politics. His father is a former governor and served as chief of staff to President George H. W. Bush. His brother Chris Sununu served four terms as governor before retiring in 2024, and Republicans first tried to recruit him for the open Senate race.
Pappas’ primary victory Tuesday came after a recent poll showed a tightening race against Manzur, who had run as an outsider and challenged the congressman from the left.
Pappas, who held a massive fundraising edge over Manzur heading into election day, had already begun training his sights on the general election. He accused Sununu of seeking to enrich himself by working as a lobbyist after leaving the Senate.
If elected in November, Pappas would be the first openly gay man to serve in the Senate. Democrats argue that the four-term House member, whose family owns the Puritan Backroom, a Manchester restaurant credited with inventing the chicken tender, is a good fit for the state. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, sought to draw a contrast Tuesday night between Pappas and Sununu.
“Chris Pappas is a small business owner and descendant of Greek immigrants who is grounded in the values, people, and places of New Hampshire,” they said. “John Sununu went to Washington almost thirty years ago and voted to serve the interests of Wall Street, Big Oil, and Big Pharma in the Senate, then sold out to make millions off those same industries.”
House races
In 1st District, which takes up parts of eastern New Hampshire, Stefany Shaheen prevailed over a crowded Democratic field, which included a handful of candidates who dropped out before the primary.
The race between Shaheen and Sullivan had grown increasingly sour in the final weeks of the campaign, with both sides slinging attacks over fundraising and Shaheen’s well-known name also lingered over the race – her mother also previously served as governor, while her father, Billy Shaheen, has long been involved in state Democratic politics.
Former Portsmouth City Councilor Stefany Shaheen recites the Pledge of Allegiance during a candidate event in Dover, N.H., on Aug. 13. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Sullivan, who worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon during the Obama administration, was making her second bid for the seat after a runner-up finish to Pappas in the 2018 primary.
Shaheen will next face Republican businessman Anthony DiLorenzo, who was leading his nearest opponent, businesswoman Hollie Noveletsky, 51 percent to 26 percent, with about 85 percent of the vote counted, according to the AP.
DiLorenzo, the owner of several car dealerships, had the endorsement of Trump and the National Republican Congressional Committee. He largely self-funded his campaign, loaning himself $1.8 million through Aug. 19.
New Hampshire’s 1st District regularly flipped between the parties until Pappas first won the seat in 2018. But without an incumbent on the ballot, Republicans are hopeful that the district will return to its previously competitive status.
Inside Elections rates the race Lean Democratic.
Meanwhile, the state’s 2nd District, freshman Rep. Maggie Goodlander easily clinched the Democratic nomination over state Rep. Paige Beauchemin. She will face a rematch of her 2024 race against activist Lily Tang Williams, who won the Republican nomination in what is her third straight bid for the seat.
Inside Elections rates the race Likely Democratic.