Democrat Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire announced Thursday he is running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
“Granite Staters know my record of taking on the big fights and looking out for them – pushing tax cuts for working families and small businesses, taking on predatory companies and corporate polluters, and standing up to Big Pharma to lower drug costs,” he said in a statement. “Like Senator Shaheen, I’ll always put New Hampshire first.”
I’m in.
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) April 3, 2025
Today I’m announcing my campaign for U.S. Senate because New Hampshire needs a fighter who gets things done.
Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/bAyE5u4LSk
The decision from the four-term congressman comes after a 10-county listening tour.
Democrats are dealing with an increasingly difficult map to defend after a wave of retirements that also include Michigan Sen. Gary Peters and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith.
First-term Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) is also looking at the seat. Former Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) had said she would consider a bid if Pappas didn’t run. On the Republican side, former Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts but now lives in New Hampshire, and former Gov. Chris Sununu are mulling campaigns.
Pappas’ decision also sets off a scramble for his seat in the more competitive of New Hampshire’s two House districts. Maura Sullivan, a vice chair of the state Democratic Party who ran for the 1st District seat in the race Pappas ultimately won in 2018, is seriously considering making another run for it. (Politico)
The National Republican Congressional Committee said Pappas’ decision makes flipping NH-01 even easier.
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“The writing is on the wall for House Democrats, and their vulnerable members are racing for the exits," NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole said in a statement. "Republicans are ready to seize on their dysfunction. We look forward to flipping this open seat red."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, meanwhile, blasted Pappas as too extreme.
"Chris Pappas supports biological males competing in women's sports, wants to ban gas-powered vehicles, and voted to raise taxes on hard-working Granite Staters," said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia. "Pappas is extremely out of touch, and New Hampshire families deserve better."
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