On a November night, the long contest for New Hampshire's open Senate seat reached its quiet verdict: Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, a steady voice from the House, was projected to win over former Senator John Sununu, a man whose family name has long carried weight in the Granite State. The seat had been held by Jeanne Shaheen, who stepped away, and in its keeping by Democrats the result reflects both local loyalties and the broader tides of a nation weary of war and rising costs. Sununu's attempt to stand apart from the president could not fully outrun those currents, and so the stat
Pappas Projected to Win New Hampshire Senate Seat, Holding It for Democrats After Shaheen Retirement
"I've never even met the man."
Mark
Why does this one race matter beyond New Hampshire?
Mimi
Because Republicans counted it as one of their few real pickup chances. Losing it means they had to win elsewhere, and Democrats not only held this seat but flipped several others on the way to a majority.
Luke
Worth noting this is a CBS News projection, not a certified result. The piece gives no vote totals or margin.
Mark
What made Sununu a serious candidate?
Mimi
The name, mostly. His father and brother were both governors, and he himself served in the House and Senate for more than a decade before losing to Shaheen in 2008.
Mark
And he ran away from Trump in his ads.
Mimi
He did. He joked that Pappas portrayed him as Trump's long-lost son and said he'd oppose the president's policies when they hurt New Hampshire.
Luke
But the reporting says his distancing wasn't enough against headwinds. That's CBS's reading. The piece doesn't show polling or voter data proving why people voted as they did.
Mark
What are those headwinds?
Mimi
The unpopular war in Iran and high gas and diesel prices, according to the report.
Luke
Right, and it describes them as the climate for GOP candidates generally. How much each factor moved New Hampshire voters isn't established here.
Il Polso
- A Republican comeback bid by John Sununu ran headlong into a national mood shaped by an unpopular Iran war and climbing fuel prices.
- Sununu's late ad tried to put distance between himself and President Trump, but the attempt to appear independent did not persuade enough voters.
- Democrats kept the open seat that Jeanne Shaheen vacated, adding to a wider push that has them flipping several seats toward a majority.
- Republicans lost one of their few realistic pickup chances this cycle, leaving their Senate map narrower than they had hoped.
On a November night, the long contest for New Hampshire's open Senate seat reached its quiet verdict: Democratic Representative Chris Pappas, a steady voice from the House, was projected to win over former Senator John Sununu, a man whose family name has long carried weight in the Granite State. The seat had been held by Jeanne Shaheen, who stepped away, and in its keeping by Democrats the result reflects both local loyalties and the broader tides of a nation weary of war and rising costs. Sununu's attempt to stand apart from the president could not fully outrun those currents, and so the state's politics bent once more toward the party that had held it.
CBS News has projected that Democratic Representative Chris Pappas has won New Hampshire's open Senate seat, defeating former Republican Senator John Sununu and keeping the seat in Democratic hands after Senator Jeanne Shaheen's retirement.
Pappas, 46, has served in the House since 2019 and sits in the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, campaigning as an independent voice for the state. Sununu, 62, brought a famous name to the race, the son of a former governor and brother of another, and he was seeking to return to the Senate he had lost to Shaheen in 2008.
Republicans saw him as one of their few real chances for a Senate gain this cycle, though New Hampshire's recent history leaned against them. In a late ad, Sununu insisted he had never met President Trump and promised to oppose the president's policies when they harmed the state.
It was not enough. Headwinds from an unpopular war in Iran and high fuel prices weighed on Republicans across the country, and Pappas's win helps Democrats build toward a Senate majority while removing a rare Republican opportunity.
CBS News has projected that Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's open Senate seat, beating former Republican Sen. John Sununu and keeping the seat in Democratic hands after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's retirement.
Pappas is 46 and has represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019. He sits in the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, and he ran as an independent voice for the state. His opponent was a formidable one. Sununu, 62, is the son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and the brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu, a family name that carries real weight in New Hampshire.
The race was also a comeback attempt. Sununu represented New Hampshire in the House and then the Senate for more than a decade, until Shaheen defeated him in 2008. This year he tried to return to the upper chamber.
Republicans had reason to invest in him. His candidacy was one of the few chances they saw for a Senate pickup this cycle. The history cut against them, though: New Hampshire has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2010, and no Republican has carried the state at the presidential level since 2000. Republicans have, however, held the governor's mansion since 2017, which kept the state from looking out of reach.
The national environment complicated things. A number of GOP Senate candidates have faced surprisingly competitive races this cycle, amid an unpopular war in Iran and high gas and diesel prices. Republicans felt more hopeful about Sununu than about many of their candidates, in part because he had sought to separate himself from President Trump.
Late in the campaign he released an ad built around that effort. "The way Chris Pappas tells it, I'm President Trump's long-lost son," he said in the spot. "I've never even met the man." He promised independence and declared that "when the president's policies are bad for New Hampshire, I'll oppose them."
It was not enough. By CBS's account, Sununu's distancing from the president could not overcome the strong headwinds facing Republicans this year.
Pappas's projected win means Democrats held a key seat while also flipping several others, which puts them in position to secure a majority. For Republicans, the loss removes one of their few realistic opportunities to pick up ground in this cycle's Senate map.
Citazioni salienti
When the president's policies are bad for New Hampshire, I'll oppose them.— John Sununu, in a late-campaign ad
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su CBS News ↗
Politics & Governance