Photo credit: Chris Pappas for U.S. Senate
By BallotWire
09/08/2026
The Wire: U.S. Representative Chris Pappas and former U.S. Senator John E. Sununu won their party primaries Tuesday, setting the field for a competitive general election for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democratic U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.
Why it counts: The race gives Republicans one of their few opportunities to flip a Democratic-held U.S. Senate seat this cycle, but Democrats enter the general election with an advantage. The race is rated Lean Democrat, reflecting New Hampshire's recent Democratic strength in federal elections even as Republicans remain competitive statewide.
The margin: Both nominees won easily. Pappas captured 65.0% of the Democratic primary vote, while Manzur finished with roughly 33%. Sununu won 68.4% of the Republican vote, compared with 26.8% for former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown.
The fine print: Pappas, a four-term congressman and longtime front-runner, turned back Manzur, a medical scientist, first-time candidate, and Democratic Socialists of America member who ran on universal health care and criticized Pappas over his past support for Israel. Pappas has since said he wants "a reset with respect to the U.S. policy toward Israel." On the Republican side, Sununu entered the primary as the party's strongest contender and received President Donald Trump's endorsement, complicating Brown's effort to run to his right.
On the record: Sununu signaled that the fall campaign will focus heavily on affordability, emphasizing cost-of-living concerns in his victory remarks. National Republicans have pointed to his candidacy and the Sununu family's longstanding political profile in New Hampshire as reasons the party can compete for the seat.
The counter: Democrats are emphasizing Pappas' electoral record in a politically competitive congressional district and New Hampshire's recent Democratic lean in federal races. Republicans, meanwhile, are seeking to tie Pappas to the national Democratic Party and make the economy and cost of living central issues in the campaign.
The backdrop: Sununu's nomination marks a political comeback nearly two decades after he last appeared on a New Hampshire ballot. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate before losing this seat to Shaheen in 2008 and later served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand. He is the brother of former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. No Republican has won a U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire since 2010, and Democrats have held the state's entire congressional delegation since 2017. President Donald Trump lost New Hampshire by 2.8 percentage points in 2024.
Looking ahead: The Pappas-Sununu contest is expected to draw significant national attention and spending, but the race begins the general election with a Democratic lean rather than as a pure toss-up. Down the ballot, the Democratic primary to replace Pappas in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District produced a narrow victory for Stefany Shaheen, who will face Republican Anthony DiLorenzo in November.