Pappas, Sununu will fight out to succeed Shaheen in New Hampshire Senate race

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and former Sen. John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) are projected to face off against each other for retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) seat in the Granite State, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Pappas defeated four other Democrats for the party nod, with his most serious challenger being scientist Karishma Manzur. Meanwhile, Sununu beat former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), who was among seven other Republicans vying for the GOP bid.

Pappas led Manzur by about 22 percentage points with 22 percent of the vote reported, while Sununu defeated Brown by about 35 points with 17 percent of the vote counted by DDHQ as of 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Pappas and Sununu were long considered the party frontrunners for the seat.

New Hampshire represents one of Republicans’ best pickup opportunities this fall, with the GOP scoring a win in courting John E. Sununu to run for his old job. Shaheen unseated the elder Sununu, who served between the House and Senate from 1997 to 2009, during his 2008 reelection bid.

The elder Sununu decided to launch a Senate campaign after former Gov. Chris Sununu (R), his brother, opted against running.

The Granite State, part of the lineup of early presidential primary states, hasn’t elected a Republican for Senate since 2010, when Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) won a term in the upper chamber. She was later defeated in 2016 by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).

Still, New Hampshire is viewed as a competitive state and has shown a willingness to ticket-split. Ayotte won her gubernatorial race in 2024 while the state also elected Pappas and Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.).

The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Shaheen’s seat “lean Democrat.”