New Hampshire voters have set the matchup for one of the midterm elections’ most consequential Senate races: Republican former senator John Sununu against Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, for a seat that could help decide control of the chamber.
Both men won their September primaries easily. Sununu, returning to the Senate arena nearly two decades after voters last sent him to Washington, defeated former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown by 68 to 27 percent. Pappas, who has represented the state’s 1st Congressional District since 2019, beat progressive challenger Karishma Manzur 65 to 33.
The seat is open because Senator Jeanne Shaheen is retiring, ending a long Democratic hold that her party can ill afford to lose. With the Senate balance on a knife edge, national forecasters rate New Hampshire among the handful of states where the majority will be won or lost — and early general-election polling suggests a genuinely competitive race rather than a coronation for either side.
Sununu carries one of the most recognisable names in state politics; his brother Chris won four consecutive terms as governor before retiring in 2024. But the family name cuts both ways in a state that has trended Democratic in federal races for much of this century, and Pappas has built his campaign around anti-corruption themes and a moderate, problem-solving brand.
The undercard told its own story about the state’s political moment. In the 1st District Democratic primary, Stefany Shaheen — the retiring senator’s daughter — edged out former administration official Maura Sullivan by roughly 37 to 35 percent, a strikingly narrow margin for a name that has defined New Hampshire politics for decades. Republicans nominated automobile business owner Anthony DiLorenzo with a comfortable majority.
Eight weeks out, both Senate campaigns now turn to the same audience: the independents who make New Hampshire’s elections famously unpredictable.
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