Chris Pappas is the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire, having won the September 8, 2026 primary with about 60% of the vote over progressive challenger Karishma Manzur. A four-term congressman representing New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District since 2019, Pappas is running to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and will face Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu in the November 3 general election, in a race rated among the most competitive in the country.
Born in Manchester in 1980, the descendant of Greek immigrants, Pappas is a lifelong Granite Stater who attended Manchester public schools before graduating from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in government. Before entering politics full time, he helped run his family's 108-year-old landmark restaurant business in Manchester. He lives in Manchester with his husband, Vann.
Pappas began his political career with two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, then served as Hillsborough County treasurer and three terms on the New Hampshire Executive Council, where he worked to expand Medicaid and protect funding for Planned Parenthood. Elected to Congress in 2018, he made history as the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in Washington. In the House, he has pushed to ban stock trading by members of Congress, helped cap the cost of insulin at $35 and let Medicare negotiate drug prices, and serves on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, where he has worked to pass the PACT Act and push for New Hampshire's first VA hospital.
Join New Hampshire Democrats Saturdays and Sundays as we make phone calls to voters remotely! Together we'll connect with voters across the community in support of Chris Pappas, Gubernatorial Candidate...
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Join New Hampshire Democrats Saturdays and Sundays as we make phone calls to voters remotely! Together we'll connect with voters across the community in support of Chris Pappas, Gubernatorial Candidate...
