New Hampshire Democrats wasted little time Wednesday trying to promote party enthusiasm and harmony after Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) beat a democratic socialist the prior evening for the Senate nomination.
The rallying cries to unite from Pappas and top state Democrats come amid concerns that the open seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) could be flipped by a GOP nominee, John E. Sununu, who held the seat from 2003-2009 and whose brother and father were governors.
“This is a big tent, and we all belong,” Pappas told attendees of a New Hampshire Democrats post-primary election unity breakfast, referencing primary rival socialist Karishma Manzur. “I salute her campaign and the passion she brought to what she was fighting for. And I know she’s going to keep fighting for democracy and for what she believes in, and she belongs in this party along with everyone in this room.”
But in her Tuesday night concession speech, Manzur made clear that Pappas must “earn” the support of her and her supporters, and that she planned to discuss with him “how he can earn our votes.” With just over 96% of the vote counted as of Wednesday, Manzur garnered 32.8% to Pappas’s 64.9%. Trump-backed Sununu won his primary against former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.
“In order for Chris Pappas to win this seat, he must earn the support of the voters who chose our campaign tonight,” Manzur said. “We have to work together to defeat the Republican establishment in the general election, but we also have to unite to change the direction of the Democratic Party.”
New Hampshire was lost by President Donald Trump in 2024 by 2.8% and is among the leading seats Republicans are looking to flip as they fight to maintain the majority. It’s a must-win race for Democrats to defend, if they’re to have a shot at netting four seats across the Senate map to retake chamber control.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate GOP leadership, launched its first anti-Pappas ad on Wednesday as part of a $17 million campaign for the seat that nonpartisan election forecasters say Pappas has a slight edge over Sununu. It marked the latest cash infusion from a national outside group as the party prepares to spend tens of millions of dollars on the contest.
New Hampshire Democrats openly concede the race will be an expensive one, particularly for a state with a population of less than 1.5 million.
NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE RACE SET BETWEEN JOHN SUNUNU AND CHRIS PAPPAS
“New Hampshire’s open Senate seat has been one of the GOP’s top targets since last year, and over $30 million is being spent to prop up Trump’s handpicked candidate,” New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley said at the unity breakfast.
“Who’s going to match that? Where’s Schumer?” Buckley added with a laugh, referencing Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).