New Hampshire Senate primary results: Pappas and Sununu win nominations
Chris Pappas and John Sununu won their primaries for New Hampshire’s open Senate seat, setting up a Nov. 3 contest.
By Jordan Bell · Startups & Deals Reporter
· 3 min read
The New Hampshire Senate primary results set up a major-party matchup between Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and Republican former Sen. John Sununu for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. The race now moves to the Nov. 3 general election, a contest CNBC has described as important to both parties’ fight for control of the Senate.
Pappas defeated Karishma Manzur for the Democratic nomination, while Sununu won the Republican primary over former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, according to CNBC. WCAX reported election-night margins of 62% to 36% for Pappas over Manzur and nearly 70% to 25% for Sununu over Brown. Those figures were reported results, not final certified statewide returns.
Who won the New Hampshire Senate primaries?
- Democratic nominee: Chris Pappas, the U.S. representative from New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, defeated Karishma Manzur.
- Republican nominee: John Sununu, a former New Hampshire senator and representative, defeated Scott Brown.
The seat is open because Shaheen, a three-term Democrat, is retiring when her term ends in January, CNBC reported. Cook Political Report says Shaheen was first elected to the Senate in 2008. Her decision not to seek another term created a statewide contest without an incumbent on the ballot.
Pappas has represented the 1st District since 2019, according to CNBC, and is leaving his House seat to run for the Senate. PBS, citing reporting from the Associated Press before the primary, said he had served four terms in the House. CNBC described Pappas as a moderate and a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.
Sununu previously spent six years in the House and one term in the Senate before Shaheen defeated him in 2008, according to PBS. He campaigned on housing, health-care and energy affordability, along with congressional accountability and constituent service, the Associated Press reported. CNBC said President Donald Trump endorsed Sununu, though Sununu portrayed himself in the campaign as a moderate Republican prepared to work across party lines.
Brown had represented Massachusetts in the Senate and lost a 2014 New Hampshire challenge to Shaheen. He later served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during Trump’s first term, according to PBS.
Why does the New Hampshire Senate race matter?
CNBC reported that Democrats would need a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of the chamber. Keeping Shaheen’s seat is part of that route, while a Republican pickup in New Hampshire would give the GOP more room to retain its majority, according to the outlet.
Race-watchers had already identified the seat as competitive before the primaries. Ballotpedia displayed ratings of Lean Democratic from Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball, Likely Democratic from Decision Desk, and Toss-up from Inside Elections. Cook’s displayed Lean Democratic rating was last updated in February 2025, before the primary results.
New Hampshire voters are scheduled to decide the Senate seat on Nov. 3. Pappas and Sununu are the major-party nominees, though the available candidate listings also include independent and other-party hopefuls and do not establish the final general-election field.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
