The establishment strikes back in New Hampshire Senate primary

The political establishment has carried the day in the Senate primary elections in New Hampshire.

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday to succeed three-term Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, while former Sen. John Sununu captured the Republican nomination, setting up an open-seat general election critical to both parties’ hopes of running the Senate.

'I'm New Hampshire.'

With nearly 88% of the expected vote counted, establishment favorite Pappas crushed socialist Karishma Manzur 65% to 33%, with the remaining Democrat vote split among David Jarvis, Maxwell Saal, and John Vail.

Sununu faced a challenge from former Massachusetts senator and Trump administration alum Scott Brown, but ultimately beat him 68.5% to 26.7%. Several other Republicans finished in the distant single digits.

New Hampshire has not elected a Republican senator since 2010, but August University of New Hampshire polling shows Sununu leading Pappas 45% to 43%.

“We’re taking nothing for granted, this is a purple state,” Pappas told MS NOW. “We’ve got a path to victory. But it’s going to be a tough race.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the Granite State by just three points in 2024, with all 10 counties shifting right since 2020.

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Mel Musto/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Pappas has represented New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District since 2019 and served on the state’s Executive Council from 2013 to 2019. He is co-owner of his family’s Puritan Backroom restaurant. Pappas received endorsements from Sens. Shaheen and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Kamala Harris.

Pappas raised over $15 million during the primary campaign, dwarfing Manzur’s $415,081. Manzur tacked far to Pappas’ left, repeatedly accusing him of being a pro-Israel stooge and corporate cut-out.

“Chris Pappas’ hypocrisy is evident. He talks about getting big money out of politics, then turns around and takes bribes from special interests,” a Manzur campaign spokesperson previously told Blaze News. “He talks about standing up to Netanyahu, yet he has voted to send billions of our tax dollars to support Netanyahu’s war."

On the Republican side, Sununu served in the House from 1997 to 2003 and the Senate from 2003 to 2009. His father and brother were both governors of New Hampshire.

“I’m New Hampshire. I said in my campaign announcement that I’ll have one job: standing up for New Hampshire every single day,” Sununu told the Dartmouth when asked about his primary challenger Scott Brown. “I’m not focused on another office or currying favor with anyone outside this state.

Brown previously served as senator from 2010 to 2013 after winning the special election prompted by the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). Brown supported Trump in 2016, netting him an ambassadorship to New Zealand and Samoa.

Sununu received President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite authoring a 2024 op-ed titled “Donald Trump is a loser” in support of Nikki Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign. Sununu later walked back the barb by saying the publication Union Leader chose the headline.

A UNH poll headed into Primary Election Day showed Sununu leading Brown 60% to 20%.

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