Pappas Beats Manzur to Secure N.H. Senate Nomination

Aspen —Chris Pappas just traded a safe House seat for a Senate race where he is already the favorite.

That is the headline. The rest is noise.

Pappas won the Democratic primary Tuesday in Concord. He is leaving his 1st Congressional District seat after four terms. He did this to chase the open Senate seat left by Jeanne Shaheen. Shaheen is retiring after three terms. She didn’t seek reelection. That decision created a vacuum. Pappas stepped into it.

He entered the race as the frontrunner. The math was simple. Pappas dwarfed the other four candidates in fundraising. He had deep pockets. His opponents had shallow ones. He also secured a high-profile endorsement. Former Vice President Kamala Harris backed him. That name carries weight. It signals establishment support. It tells donors where to send money. It tells voters who is "safe."

But make no mistake, the path wasn’t smooth. As the election neared, Pappas faced increased competition. The main threat came from Karishma Manzur. Manzur is a research scientist and a democratic socialist. Her argument was direct. She claimed Pappas was too beholden to special interests. She positioned herself as the outsider. She tried to frame the race as a choice between the status quo and change.

It didn’t work. Pappas’s resources and endorsements outpaced her narrative. The primary result confirms the power of money in New Hampshire politics.

Now, the real fight begins. Pappas moves to the general election. He will face John E. Sununu. Sununu won the Republican primary Tuesday. He is a former senator. He lost his seat to Shaheen in 2008. He is trying to reclaim it. He has the backing of President Donald Trump. That endorsement is controversial, but it is powerful. Trump called Sununu "a loser" during the 2024 campaign. Yet, he still supports him now. Politics is strange.

Sununu is not alone in the GOP field. He defeated Scott Brown. Brown is also a former senator. He represented Massachusetts. He unsuccessfully challenged Shaheen in 2014. Brown accused Sununu of coasting on his name. Sununu’s father and younger brother are former governors. The Sununu name is a brand in New Hampshire.

The general election will be a clash of titans. Pappas versus Sununu. Democrat versus Republican. Establishment versus Establishment. Both are well-funded. Both are endorsed by major figures. Both are trying to flip or hold a key Senate seat.

New Hampshire is a small state, but this race matters nationally. Republicans view it as a key opportunity to flip a seat. They need it to retain control of the Senate. Democrats need to hold it to prevent a GOP takeover.

The stakes are high. The candidates are experienced. The voters are engaged. The media attention is intense.

Pappas is the favorite in the primary. He is now the candidate in the general. He has the funds. He has the endorsements. He has the experience. He served on the governor’s Executive Council. He approved state contracts and judicial nominees. He knows how government works.

Sununu is the challenger. He has the name. He has the Trump endorsement. He has the history. He was a senator. He was a representative. He knows how Congress works.

The race will be close. It will be expensive. It will be loud.

Pappas is the favorite in the primary. He is now the candidate in the general. He has the funds. He has the endorsements. He has the experience. He served on the governor’s Executive Council. He approved state contracts and judicial nominees. He knows how government works.

Sununu is the challenger. He has the name. He has the Trump endorsement. He has the history. He was a senator. He was a representative. He knows how Congress works.

The race will be close. It will be expensive. It will be loud.