Democratic Senate Candidate Chris Pappas Focuses on Economy and Immigration in Final Campaign Push
In a televised interview, New Hampshire Democratic Senate candidate Chris Pappas outlined his strategy to win swing voters, criticized the current administration’s policies, and detailed his plans for affordable housing, healthcare, and ICE reform.
Congressman Chris Pappas, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from New Hampshire, told host Margaret Brennan that his campaign’s final weeks will target independent swing voters, energize the Democratic base, and reach out to Republican voters ahead of the election. He noted that the 2016 Senate race in the state was decided by just over a thousand votes and emphasized the need to address rising living costs, saying the administration’s policies have made heating oil, diesel fuel and housing increasingly unaffordable.
"Donald Trump has said ‘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 and make it harder for us to hold this administration to account," Pappas said, accusing his opponent of aligning with the president’s agenda.
Pappas said Democrats would focus on economic relief rather than impeachment, stressing accountability and immediate wins for workers and the middle class. He highlighted a recent housing bill aimed at expanding affordable housing, a plan to end the war and lower energy prices, and efforts to restore health-care subsidies that were cut, noting that 17,000 New Hampshire residents have lost insurance coverage.
"We want New Hampshire families to be able to get a healthcare premium that makes sense for them and to protect Medicaid funding for rural hospitals and health centers," he explained.
On immigration, Pappas advocated redirecting $75 billion in ICE funding to local law-enforcement agencies, adding oversight measures such as de-escalation training and body cameras. He argued this approach balances enforcement against serious criminals with due-process rights and a path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants.
"We need accountability, we need to take back the extra money that was given in that slush fund last year, and we need ICE officers to conduct themselves like our trusted local law-enforcement does," he said.
Pappas concluded by expressing optimism that his proposals could gain bipartisan support and deliver results for New Hampshire families.