Democratic Senate hopeful Chris Pappas leans on fear tactics in close New Hampshire contest
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Rep. Chris Pappas says his campaign is taking nothing for granted in the tightening New Hampshire Senate race, while attacking John Sununu’s links to Donald Trump and pushing a platform built around bigger government and softer immigration enforcement.
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, the party’s Senate candidate in New Hampshire, told "Face the Nation" that his campaign is "taking nothing for granted" as Election Day approaches, saying the final 23 days will require maximum effort. "I'm hopeful about where we're going to end up at the end of this thing, but we've got to put in the work over the next 23 days," Pappas said.
Pappas, who has served in the House since 2019, faces former GOP Sen. John Sununu in a race that could affect Senate control. While CBS News rates the state as leaning Democratic, Pappas emphasized trying to peel off independent swing voters, energize Democrats, and win over Republicans.
He referred to the narrow margin of the 2016 Senate race and Sununu’s prominent political family, saying, "I'm up against a candidate with a very famous political pedigree in New Hampshire. He's been a U.S. senator before. But this isn't about going back to the failed politicians with failed ideas from the past, it's about looking ahead to the future."
Pappas tied Sununu’s campaign to Donald Trump, claiming the current president’s influence could make it harder for Congress to provide oversight. "The fact is, Donald Trump has said this, that 'pretend I'm on the ballot.' He’s on the ballot through candidates like John Sununu, who will maintain his majority in the U.S. Senate, will make it harder for us to hold this administration to account to address the culture of corruption in Washington and fight to lower costs for New Hampshire families," he said.
When asked about Democratic priorities if they regain control of Congress, Pappas said the party should focus on economic challenges, affordable housing, ending the war in Iran, lowering energy prices, and restoring health-care coverage. He also called for realistic immigration reform, saying ICE abuses should be curbed while due process is respected and immigrants are integrated.
"We have to be realistic — Donald Trump's going to be president for the next two years. We got to find every point of leverage we possibly can to rein in the disgusting abuses we have seen from ICE," Pappas said. "We have to make sure that we are going after the worst of the worst criminals that are violating the law, while also respecting due process rights and making sure immigrants are part of our extended American family. And people in New Hampshire support that."