John Sununu and Chris Pappas win New Hampshire Senate primaries, setting up competitive general election
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Republican former Senator John Sununu and Democratic Representative Chris Pappas secured their parties' nominations for the New Hampshire Senate race, which is expected to be closely contested in November.
Republican former Senator John Sununu and Democratic Representative Chris Pappas each won their party primaries on Tuesday, positioning them for a closely watched Senate contest in New Hampshire this fall. Sununu defeated former Senator Scott Brown, receiving about 70% of the vote with roughly one-sixth of the ballots counted, while Pappas beat scientist Karishma Manzur, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, by a margin of 62% to 36% with about 20% of the vote reported.
The race is viewed as potentially pivotal for control of the Senate. Sununu, whose family has a long political history in the state, previously served in the Senate from 2003 to 2008 and was endorsed by President Donald Trump in the primary. Pappas, first elected to the House in 2018, has been the leading Democratic candidate to succeed retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
During the campaign, Pappas criticized Sununu for alleged ties to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, stating that he had taken a $35 million job after supporting tax breaks for those sectors. In response, a nonprofit arm of the GOP Senate Leadership Fund released an advertisement accusing Pappas of providing tax breaks to high-income New Yorkers when he backed a 2021 climate and social-safety-net package.
Democratic super-PAC Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said the New Hampshire contest would be competitive but expressed confidence in a Democratic victory. Republicans remain hopeful that independent voters opposed to higher taxes could swing the race, while both parties continue to court donors ahead of the November election.