Political insider turns anti-incumbent table on 8-year Dem in key Senate race: 'Hasn't delivered'
New Hampshire’s open U.S. Senate seat is drawing intense national attention as Republicans and Democrats battle to fill the vacancy left by retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. The race, pitting Republican John E. Sununu against Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas, has been rated a toss-up by multiple nonpartisan handicappers, a shift that underscores the contest’s competitiveness in a cycle otherwise challenging for the party occupying the White House.
Sununu, a former state governor and one-term senator who spent 18 years away from federal office, is running on a message of fresh perspective and effectiveness. He argues that his opponent’s eight years in Congress have not translated into concrete results for New Hampshire, pointing to the state’s standing as dead last in highway funding across New England. Sununu said Pappas had attempted little in Congress and accomplished even less, adding that his own private-sector background—spanning tech firms, small businesses, the Waterville Valley ski area, and college teaching—brings a perspective he says is missing from Washington. Sununu, who counts his father and brother among New Hampshire’s recent governors, also noted his distance from the former president despite earning an endorsement from Donald Trump. He said he has never met the former president, while asserting he would be a much more effective voice with the current administration.
Pappas, seeking a fourth term in the House before moving to the Senate, counters with a detailed record of federal funding victories. His campaign highlights efforts that expanded health care benefits for veterans, brought high-speed internet to towns across the state, provided relief to working parents, and secured millions for road, bridge and building repairs. Pappas said the race is about expanding access to health care, building affordable housing and standing up to an administration ignoring Granite Staters’ day-to-day concerns. The congressman also introduced legislation aimed at guaranteeing New Hampshire at least half a percent of total federal-aid highway funding, a move prompted by figures showing the state receives some of the lowest per-capita road funding in the country. His campaign manager said Pappas is rated among the most effective and bipartisan lawmakers, and his record stands in stark contrast to Sununu’s votes to cut Medicare, efforts to privatize Social Security and support for the former president’s tariffs and Iran policy.
The contest has drawn heavy outside spending. A Republican-aligned super PAC has poured millions of dollars weekly into New Hampshire targeting Pappas, while a Democrat-aligned super PAC has begun running ads accusing Sununu of cashing in with lobbying firms after leaving the Senate. Pappas warned on social media that the race is officially a toss-up and accused his opponent of being backed by out-of-state special interests and dark money, saying they are outspending his campaign three-to-one on television.
The race’s trajectory changed earlier this month when the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections both moved New Hampshire from lean Democrat to toss-up, reflecting a tighter-than-expected contest. The open-seat dynamic was set in motion during the primaries, where Sununu defeated former Senator Scott Brown for the GOP nomination, and Pappas cruised past socialist challenger Karishma Manzur by a two-to-one margin. Manzur, a first-time candidate and scientist, had criticized Pappas as seeming content with a cushy D.C. job and doing the bare minimum.
Voters in the state are described as pragmatic, focused on improving their daily lives and seeing problems solved. Both candidates are framing the election around health care, housing, infrastructure and the role of federal influence in a state that, despite its small size, plays a disproportionate role in national politics. With the general election sprint underway, the Senate math hangs in the balance: this race and roughly a dozen others will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the upper chamber.