Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas wins Senate seat in New Hampshire

Rep. Chris Pappas (D) is projected to win the Senate race in New Hampshire, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), keeping a crucial seat for the Democratic Party.

The contest was considered a possible Republican pickup opportunity thanks to the party’s strong candidate, former Sen. John Sununu, who comes from a political dynasty in the state. Sununu served one term in the Senate in the 2000s.

Pappas had secured nearly 61 percent of the vote with 22 percent of the ballots counted shortly after 8 p.m. EST, according to DDHQ .

But Pappas, 46, was also a strong candidate, especially after besting a democratic socialist candidate in the party’s primary . Throughout the campaign, he leaned into his record in Congress and his family roots in the state as the grandson of a restaurant owner who claimed to have invented the chicken tender. He is the first openly gay man elected to the Senate.

The lawmaker also looked to capitalize on an unfavorable national environment for Republicans, tying Sununu to President Trump and the war in Iran .

Polls showed mixed signals for the months following the primary, as election handicappers moved it from the Democrats’ column to a toss-up and then back again .

While the Granite State has a history of ticket-splitting and has had a handful of Republican senators and governors in recent decades, it has also swung for Democratic presidential candidates reliably this century.

Pappas was well-positioned to capture that dynamic, as he has been rated one of the most bipartisan House members in the current Congress and the most bipartisan Democrat. DDHQ also gave the lawmaker an 88 percent chance of winning the race to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D).

In the lower chamber of Congress, he has served on the committees for Transportation and Veterans’ Affairs. Before being elected to the House, he was a state legislator and county treasurer.