MANCHESTER, N.H. — Democratic Representative Chris Pappas won the New Hampshire U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, turning back a comeback attempt by former Republican Senator John Sununu to preserve a crucial seat for Democrats, according to network projections.
The victory keeps the open Senate seat in Democratic hands following the retirement of three-term Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Pappas, 46, also achieves a national milestone as the first openly gay man elected to serve in the U.S. Senate, The Guardian US reported.
Sununu officially called Pappas to concede when roughly 20 percent of the ballots were counted, The Guardian US reported. At an election night celebration in Manchester, supporters celebrated as news of the concession spread through the room.
Accompanied on stage by his husband, Vann Bentley, Pappas framed the victory as a rebuke of national policies and special interests. He told supporters that voters across the country had registered dissatisfaction with congressional leadership, healthcare cuts, rising tariffs, and foreign conflict.
GOP Comeback Bid Falls Short
Republicans had viewed the Granite State as one of their premier opportunities to flip a seat in the upper chamber this cycle, CBS News reported. Sununu, 62, held the Senate seat until 2008, when he lost to Shaheen. He is the son of former Governor John H. Sununu and the brother of former Governor Chris Sununu, giving him prominent name recognition across the state.
Despite that political lineage, Sununu ran into persistent political friction driven by affordability concerns, high fuel prices, and broader dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s administration, according to the New York Post and CBS News. In campaign advertisements, Sununu sought to establish independence, saying he had never met Trump and pointing out that he had previously described him as a “loser.”
Pappas countered by arguing that Sununu would reliably support the administration’s platform in Washington. The Democrat highlighted contentious issues during the campaign, including administration efforts regarding the war in Iran and Medicaid adjustments passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, The Guardian US reported.
During the race, Pappas drew campaign appearances from national figures including California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris, the New York Post reported. Sununu leaned primarily on solo retail stops across local communities, declining to hold joint campaign events even with his brother.
Statewide Trends and the Senate Landscape
While Republicans have maintained control of the New Hampshire governor’s office since 2017 and have held legislative majorities, the state has consistently rebuffed federal Republican candidates in recent cycles, according to the New York Post. New Hampshire has not chosen a Republican candidate in a presidential contest since 2000, and it last sent a Republican to the Senate in 2010.
The campaign attracted unusual national attention right up through Election Day, when musician Nicki Minaj, an outspoken supporter of Trump, made an unannounced appearance at a polling location in Derry to take photographs with voters, The Mirror US reported.
The projection of Pappas’ victory arrived as Democrats maintained vital seats and secured pickups in several other states to capture the Senate majority, CBS News reported. Pappas will move from the House of Representatives, where he has served four terms representing eastern New Hampshire, to take his oath in the upper chamber when the new Congress convenes in January.
