Pappas and Sununu face off in New Hampshire Senate race
The race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has become one of the closely watched contests in the fight for the Senate. Polls have shown Pappas with a narrow lead, but the contest remains competitive, with substantial campaign spending and political advertising from both sides.
Pappas, a four-term U.S. representative, has argued that Sununu would be aligned with President Donald Trump, whose approval rating in New Hampshire was 32% in a recent poll. He has also pointed to the effects of high fuel and heating-oil costs, which Democrats connect to the war with Iran. Sununu, a former senator, says he would act independently and has criticized Trump’s trade conflict with Canada. He has also opposed sending U.S. troops into Iran; the candidates disputed Sununu’s position on the administration’s strikes during a debate.
New Hampshire’s record of split-ticket voting adds uncertainty. The state has elected Democrats to Congress and for president while Republicans hold the governor’s office and majorities in the state legislature. Voters on November 3 will decide 501 races, including contests for governor and the state’s two U.S. House seats, and will consider two ballot questions. One asks whether to place an inflation-based cap on local public-school property taxes. The Senate race could help determine which party controls the chamber during Trump’s second presidency.
Sununu’s Trump ties put New Hampshire’s Senate seat at stake
New Hampshire voters have a chance to reject another Republican senator tied to Donald Trump, as Democrat Chris Pappas faces former senator John E. Sununu on November 3. The contest is a key test of whether voters will hold Republicans accountable for the administration’s record and its connection to rising household costs.
Pappas has focused on Sununu’s relationship with Trump, who endorsed him in the Republican primary, and on fuel and heating-oil costs that Democrats link to the war with Iran. Trump’s approval rating in the state was 32% in a recent poll. Pappas also challenged Sununu over his position on the administration’s strikes on Iran. Sununu says he has opposed putting American troops on the ground, but Pappas argues that his opponent’s claimed independence does not erase his alignment with the president.
The stakes extend beyond one seat: the race could help decide control of the Senate. New Hampshire has often split its votes, choosing Democratic candidates for Congress and president while supporting Republicans for governor and in the state legislature. That history makes the outcome uncertain, but it also makes Sununu’s record and his connection to Trump central questions for voters weighing the Senate’s future.
Sununu offers New Hampshire voters an independent Senate voice
New Hampshire voters face a choice between a former senator who says he will put the state first and a Washington incumbent seeking to stay in office. Republican John E. Sununu is challenging Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas for retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s seat on November 3, in a contest that could affect Senate control.
Sununu has criticized Trump’s trade conflict with Canada and says he will stand up to his party and the president when that is right for New Hampshire. He has also opposed putting U.S. troops on the ground in Iran. Pappas has tried to turn Trump’s unpopularity into a case against Sununu, linking him to the administration and its handling of the war and rising energy costs. The candidates clashed over Sununu’s position on the strikes, while Sununu said Pappas had overstated it.
Pappas presents himself as a candidate for change despite serving four terms in Congress. Sununu, too, has attacked career politicians, though he has held federal office before. New Hampshire voters have repeatedly split their tickets: Democrats hold the state’s congressional seats, while Republicans control the governorship and legislature. That independent streak leaves voters to judge whether Sununu’s record and promises offer a better fit than Pappas’s case against Trump.
Reported by The Guardian US, The Boston Globe, WTOP.
