# New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas faces Republican dynasty in sleeper race to determine Senate control

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/new-hampshire-democrat-chris-pappas-faces-republican-dynasty-in-sleeper-race-to-determine-senate-control/
- Published: 2026-09-09T03:37:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-09T09:43:30+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16115187/Karoline-Leavitt-Republican-dynasty-sleeper-Senate-control.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Pappas and Sununu will contest New Hampshire's tight Senate race in November
- Republicans haven't held this seat in 16 years
- Sununu's political dynasty includes a father, brother both in high office

## Summary

New Hampshire's Senate contest has emerged as one of the closest races of the midterms, with Democratic congressman Chris Pappas facing Republican John E. Sununu, a former one-term senator attempting a comeback for the seat his family has long dominated. Pappas secured his party's nomination after seeing off four rivals, including Karishma Manzur, who was backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, while Sununu beat a Republican field that included former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown. The contest has drawn national attention because Republicans have not held this New Hampshire seat in 16 years, and a win here could help offset expected GOP losses elsewhere, with Democrats needing to flip four seats overall to gain control of the chamber.

University of New Hampshire polling put the two candidates neck and neck, with a sizeable share of voters still undecided, and the Cook Political Report rates the seat as only "leaning Democratic." Pappas, who is seeking promotion from the House after previously defeating Karoline Leavitt in 2022, must now work to unify Manzur's DSA-aligned supporters ahead of November. Sununu, meanwhile, draws on a formidable political dynasty: his father was a New Hampshire governor and White House chief of staff, his brother Chris Sununu served as governor until January 2025, and he himself held the Senate seat from 2003 to 2009 before moving into the private sector.

## Coverage

- [Daily Mail: New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas faces Republican dynasty in sleeper race to determine Senate control](https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16115187/Karoline-Leavitt-Republican-dynasty-sleeper-Senate-control.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490)
- [The Hill: Pappas, Sununu will fight out to succeed Shaheen in New Hampshire Senate race ](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6077049-chris-pappas-jonn-sununu-new-hampshire-senate-race/)
- [The Hill: Pappas-Sununu showdown set in Democrats' must-win Senate race: 3 takeaways from New Hampshire ](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6077243-pappas-sununu-new-hampshire-primary-takeaways/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.