Chris Pappas Wins New Hampshire Senate Race, Will Be First Openly Gay Man Elected to the Senate

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, Nov. 3, defeating former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu. Sununu conceded at about 8:10 p.m. ET, shortly after polls closed, WMUR reported, and CBS News projected Pappas the winner.

Status: Sununu conceded; CBS News projected Pappas (D) the winner. Results are unofficial until certified.

With the win, Pappas will become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate, according to WMUR.

The concession and victory speech

“This has been an incredible campaign,” Sununu told supporters at his election night party in Manchester, WMUR reported. “But this is not our night.” He said he called Pappas to congratulate him.

Pappas said the result showed voters believe the country needs a course correction. “Whether you’re a Republican, an independent or a Democrat, tonight’s victory is for you, because this is a victory for Team New Hampshire over the broken status quo that is hurting all of us just the same,” he said, according to WMUR. He went on to criticize “corporate special interests and billionaires,” members of Congress he said enabled health care cuts, tariffs and war, and President Donald Trump.

A seat Republicans hoped to flip

Pappas succeeds fellow Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who retired. The race was seen as critical to Democrats’ chances of winning the Senate, WMUR said, and CBS News reported that with Pappas’ win, Democrats held a key seat while flipping several others to secure a majority.

Republicans saw Sununu as one of their best pickup chances this cycle, CBS News reported. He is the son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and the brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu, and he served New Hampshire in the House and Senate for more than a decade before losing to Shaheen in 2008. New Hampshire has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2010, though Republicans have held the governor’s office since 2017.

Sununu tried to separate himself from Trump. Late in the race he ran an ad saying, “The way Chris Pappas tells it, I’m President Trump’s long-lost son. I’ve never even met the man,” and promised to oppose the president’s policies when they were bad for the state, CBS News reported. That wasn’t enough amid strong headwinds for Republicans, including an unpopular war with Iran and high gas and diesel prices, CBS said.

Who is Chris Pappas?

Pappas, 46, has represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019 and is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, according to CBS News. He campaigned as an independent voice for the state.

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