Chris Pappas and John Sununu win New Hampshire primaries to set up Senate race

Primary results in the Senate race

Representative Chris Pappas secured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire on Tuesday, defeating progressive challenger Karishma Manzur. Pappas, a four-term centrist congressman who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2019, entered the race with endorsements from national party figures, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. During the campaign, Manzur, who ran on Medicare for All and increased taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals, criticized Pappas over his campaign finances and contributions linked to donors aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Manzur framed her candidacy as a direct challenge to the party establishment.

I was tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils and still seeing so much pain and suffering right here in my state.

Pappas, whose family operates the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester, defended his record by pointing to broad-based individual donations and rejecting corporate PAC contributions. While Pappas has supported federal aid to Israel, he described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as not a trustworthy ally of the United States and expressed hope that Netanyahu would be voted out in Israel's October election.

Republican field and outside spending

On the Republican side, former Senator John E. Sununu defeated former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown to secure the nomination. Sununu, who previously served three terms in the House and one term in the Senate before losing his seat in 2008 to retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen, ran with an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Brown had won a 2010 special election in Massachusetts before moving to New Hampshire, where he lost to Shaheen in 2014.

The race to replace the 79-year-old Shaheen represents an opening for Republicans, who control the state legislature but have not won a U.S. Senate contest in New Hampshire since Kelly Ayotte was elected in 2010. A recent University of New Hampshire poll showed Sununu narrowly leading Pappas in a projected matchup. Both parties have prepared substantial financial resources for the autumn campaign.

The Senate Leadership Fund, the primary Republican super PAC focused on Senate races, has committed $17 million to New Hampshire. The Democratic counterpart, Senate Majority PAC, has scheduled an initial $10.2 million in television advertising reservations.

Congressional primary and presidential influence

In New Hampshire's First Congressional District, automotive executive Anthony DiLorenzo won the Republican primary to contest the seat vacated by Pappas. DiLorenzo, a 62-year-old businessman who owns nearly two dozen car dealerships, secured the nomination after receiving an endorsement from Trump, who described him on social media as a successful entrepreneur. DiLorenzo defeated 67-year-old steel executive Hollie Noveletsky and State Representative Brian Cole.

During the campaign, Noveletsky attempted to position herself to the right of DiLorenzo on immigration policy, criticizing his openness to a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who pay taxes and have no felony convictions. DiLorenzo maintained that border enforcement should prioritize deporting dangerous individuals, while also advocating for a federal balanced-budget amendment and the preservation of Social Security, Medicare, and existing tax cuts. The First District, which flipped between parties five times between 2002 and 2024, was rated as Likely Democratic by the Cook Political Report after Harris won it by two percentage points in 2024.

Dynastic legacy and state politics

The Senate general election renews long-standing political rivalries in New Hampshire. Sununu is the son of former Governor John H. Sununu and the brother of former Governor Chris Sununu, who concluded an eight-year tenure as governor last year. Brown noted during the primary that some voters confused the Senate candidate with his brother and father.

Tensions between the general election campaigns surfaced before Tuesday's vote when Pappas released an advertisement referencing an appearance of the Sununu name in files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Sununu campaign spokesman Mike Schrimpf called the advertisement disgusting and stated that neither Sununu nor his father had ever met Epstein.