USA08 September, 20263 min read
New Hampshire Voters Choose Nominees for Open U.S. Senate Seat After Jeanne Shaheen Retirement
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas won the NH Senate Democratic primary, facing Sununu in November. Former Sen. John Sununu won the Republican primary to challenge Pappas.
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Primary Battle in New Hampshire
New Hampshire voters went to the polls Tuesday to choose nominees for the open U.S. Senate seat left by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, with the Democratic nomination featuring Rep. Chris Pappas against Karishma Manzur and the Republican nomination featuring former U.S. Sens. John E. Sununu and Scott Brown.
Reuters said a late surge by Manzur “threaten[s] to complicate U.S. Representative Chris Pappas' path to nomination,” as the state also selected nominees for Republican and Democratic primaries for two U.S. House seats.
ABC News described the broader ballot as including races for Congress, governor, and the 424-seat state Legislature, with incumbents not being the only familiar names on the ticket.
In the Democratic Senate primary, Reuters reported a University of New Hampshire poll on August 26 found Pappas leading Manzur 47% to 34%, reducing his lead to 13 percentage points from 24 points in June.
In the Republican Senate primary, ABC News said two former U.S. senators seeking to replace Shaheen included Sununu and Brown, both of whom had previously sought the seat with mixed results.
Quotes and Competing Narratives
In the Democratic Senate primary, 930 WFMD quoted Manzur attacking Pappas as someone who “just get his little cushy job and go to D.C., go to all these parties and these restaurants,” while also charging that Pappas is a “genocide enabler.” NBC News said Manzur “has sharply criticized Pappas over support and funding for Israel, saying he is “enabling genocide.”” On the Republican side, 930 WFMD quoted Scott Brown saying Sununu “got 70 endorsements on his website, but he doesn’t have the president’s,” and Brown argued that Sununu is “beholden” to Trump, Thune, the Senate leadership, and outside groups.
AP News framed the contest as part of a larger Senate-control fight, saying Democrats need a net gain of four seats to retake the chamber and that keeping New Hampshire in their column is a key part of that effort. Reuters also tied the Democratic primary to the Israel policy debate, saying Manzur has sought to capitalize on “cooling support for Israel among Democrats” while repeatedly criticizing the Israeli government and highlighting support for Pappas from donors aligned with AIPAC.
What’s at Stake Next
The outcome of Tuesday’s primaries sets up a November matchup that could determine control of the U.S. Senate, with AP News saying the race to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is one of a handful across the country that could determine control of the U.S. Senate for the second half of President Donald Trump’s final term.
CBS News projected that Democrats need to gain four seats to capture the Senate majority and defend every seat they currently control, including New Hampshire, while also noting that New Hampshire has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2010.
Reuters reported that the Democratic winner will likely face John Sununu in the general election after Sununu held a wide lead over Scott Brown in the Republican primary, with Sununu having garnered President Donald Trump’s endorsement in February.
On the Democratic side, Reuters said Pappas has been the frontrunner since entering the race in April 2025 shortly after Shaheen announced her retirement, and it reported endorsements from former Vice President Kamala Harris, Shaheen, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.
On the Republican side, CNN projected that Pappas would face Sununu after the primaries, and it described the contest as setting key midterm matchups in a state where Republicans have largely controlled state government while Democrats have sent representatives and senators to Washington.