Pappas warns Democrats not to coast in N.H. Senate race with 23 days left

With three weeks until Election Day, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas is telling anyone who will listen that his New Hampshire Senate race is not won — even as outside analysts rate it in his favor. Appearing on CBS News' 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,' Pappas said his campaign is 'taking nothing for granted' and that the final push will come down to reaching swing voters, energizing the Democratic base, and peeling off Republicans in a state that decides its elections entirely on a single day.

We're taking nothing for granted in this race because New Hampshire is a purple state and we're an all-election day state where we don't have early voting generally in New Hampshire. So it's focused on how we get to those independent swing voters, how we energize the base, how we reach out to Republicans over the next 23 days to win a tough race.— Chris Pappas, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate

The caution is not performative. CBS News rates the race as leaning Democratic, but the rating agency Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales shifted its assessment to Toss-up last week, according to Roll Call. Republicans haven't won a Senate race in New Hampshire since 2010, yet recent polling has shown a margin-of-error contest between Pappas and his opponent, former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu.

Pappas pointed to a concrete data point to explain his wariness: the 2016 New Hampshire Senate race was decided by just 1,017 votes, according to Tampa Free Press. He also acknowledged the weight of his opponent's name in Granite State politics — Sununu's father is a former governor who served as chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush, and his brother Chris Sununu served four terms as governor before retiring in 2024.

I'm up against a candidate with a very famous political pedigree in New Hampshire. He's been a U.S. senator before. But this isn't about going back to the failed politicians with failed ideas from the past, it's about looking ahead to the future.— Chris Pappas, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate

Sununu, who served in the Senate from 2003 to 2009 before losing his reelection bid to then-Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, is attempting a political comeback with President Donald Trump's endorsement. He has, however, largely avoided leaning into that backing — telling voters he disagreed with Trump's decision to go to war with Iran and offering muted criticism of the administration's tariff policies, according to NHPR. In his primary victory speech, Sununu called Pappas 'ineffective, partisan, and out of touch with New Hampshire,' according to NHJournal.

Pappas has sought to make that distance from Trump irrelevant by tying Sununu directly to the president's Senate majority.

The fact is, Donald Trump has said this, that 'pretend I'm on the ballot.' He's on the ballot through candidates like John Sununu, who will maintain his majority in the U.S. Senate, will make it harder for us to hold this administration to account to address the culture of corruption in Washington and fight to lower costs for New Hampshire families.— Chris Pappas, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate

The seat opened when three-term Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced she would not seek reelection. Senate Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip the chamber, according to Roll Call, making New Hampshire — a state they have held — a must-defend rather than an opportunity. The GOP super PAC Senate Leadership Fund has already signaled heavy investment in the race.

After personally recruiting Sununu to run, Leader John Thune and Senate Republicans have expanded the map and are poised to flip the Granite State. From now until November, SLF will spend every day highlighting John E. Sununu's positive vision for New Hampshire while exposing the corruption, self-dealing, and radical record of Washington insider Chris Pappas.— Alex Latcham, executive director, Senate Leadership Fund

On policy, Pappas framed his closing argument around household costs — heating oil, fuel, housing, and healthcare — and said a Democratic Congress must 'focus like a laser on the economic challenges that people are living right now.' He called for building on a housing bill already passed, ending the Iran war to bring down energy prices, and restoring healthcare cuts he said are removing thousands of Granite Staters from their coverage.

On immigration, Pappas staked out a position between his party's left flank — which has called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement entirely — and the current administration's approach, which he called 'disgraceful.' He said Congress failed by giving ICE $75 billion in additional funding without requiring body cameras or de-escalation training for agents, and argued enforcement should focus on those committing crimes while protecting due process rights and DACA recipients.

We have to be realistic — Donald Trump's going to be president for the next two years. We got to find every point of leverage we possibly can to rein in the disgusting abuses we have seen from ICE.— Chris Pappas, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate

Pappas also addressed whether a Democratic Congress should pursue impeachment, telling WMUR that while accountability for the president's conduct is necessary, it 'should not come at the expense of the need to focus on the cost of living crisis and addressing the healthcare challenges.' Affordability, he said, must be 'the primary focus on day one.'

Pappas enters the general election with a party that is not fully unified behind him. After losing the Democratic primary 65-33, progressive challenger Karishma Manzur declined to immediately endorse Pappas, telling supporters it was up to him to earn their votes. Manzur, a medical scientist who ran on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, and higher taxes on corporations, drew 32 percent of the Democratic primary vote despite spending just over $300,000 to Pappas' more than $11 million, according to NHJournal. One campaign operative told NHJournal on background that conceding more than a third of the vote to Manzur 'suggests he won't only have John Sununu to contend with this fall, but the base of an increasingly cranky party.'

If elected, Pappas would be the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate, according to Roll Call. His family owns the Puritan Backroom, a Manchester restaurant that Roll Call credits with inventing the chicken tender. Sununu, for his part, has framed his closing message around the economy.

As Senator, I'll have just one job: stand up for the people of New Hampshire every single day. We will keep listening, keep working, and stay laser-focused on the economy, jobs, and making life more affordable.— John E. Sununu, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate

Why it matters — New Hampshire's open Senate seat is one of the clearest paths for either party to shift control of the chamber, making the Pappas-Sununu race a direct proxy for which party governs the Senate.

Sources differ on Whether Sununu's record ties him to Trump's agenda: Pappas says Sununu 'supported Trump's tax breaks' and 'was a cheerleader for Trump's war in Iran' (nhjournal.com) vs Sununu has said he disagreed with Trump's decision to go to war with Iran and offered muted criticism of tariff policies (nhpr.org)

Reported by cbsnews.com, rollcall.com, nytimes.com, tampafp.com, wmur.com, nhjournal.com, nhpr.org