Sununu’s comeback collides with Pappas’s bid to hold New Hampshire for Democrats

Sununu’s comeback collides with Pappas’s bid to hold New Hampshire for Democrats
New Hampshire’s open Senate seat is now a clash between a Republican comeback built on statewide name recognition and a Democratic campaign arguing that the state’s future should not be tied to Donald Trump.

Former Sen. John Sununu defeated former Sen. Scott Brown for the Republican nomination, while Rep. Chris Pappas won the Democratic primary over progressive challenger Karishma Manzur. The November contest could help determine control of the Senate: Republicans hold a 53–47 majority, leaving Democrats needing a net gain of four seats while defending vulnerable incumbents.

Democrats see an opportunity in New Hampshire’s recent voting record. The state has not elected a Republican senator since 2010, and Pappas is backed by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. He is presenting Sununu as Trump’s “handpicked candidate,” arguing that the former senator’s alliance with the president conflicts with the state’s independent political culture.

Republicans counter that the race is an unusually strong pickup opportunity. Sununu carries a prominent political name—he is the son and brother of former New Hampshire governors—and Republicans point to the state’s history of electing GOP governors despite voting Democratic in presidential contests. One conservative account described the contest as a race that could “dash Democrats’ hopes to retake Senate control.”

The central tension is Sununu’s relationship with Trump. The president endorsed him, but Sununu has criticized Trump’s tariffs, executive-power agenda and military decisions. In his victory speech, Sununu insisted he would have “one job: stand up for the people of New Hampshire every single day.” That message also answers a Republican vulnerability: Brown accused him of being “beholden” to Trump and Senate leaders rather than to state voters.

Pappas, meanwhile, is emphasizing independence and affordability, while Sununu is stressing costs, trade and local control. Both campaigns are claiming the state’s political middle ground; the general election will test which candidate can occupy it most credibly.