4 minPolitics
New Hampshire voters settle dueling Senate primaries in key open-seat race
New Hampshire voters head to the polls Tuesday to pick nominees in a Senate race that could decide control of the chamber. Democrats choose between establishment Rep. Chris Pappas and socialist-backed Karishma Manzur, while Republicans pick between former Sens. John E. Sununu and Scott Brown.
New Hampshire voters are settling two dueling Senate primary fights on Tuesday, with the outcomes shaping a race that could determine which party controls the chamber in the midterm elections. The open seat, left by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, has drawn intense national attention as both parties view it as a pivotal contest in the fight for the Senate majority.
On the Democratic side, four-term Rep. Chris Pappas faces a serious challenge from Karishma Manzur, a first-time candidate and scientist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry who is backed by a local Democratic Socialists of America group. Manzur, once considered a longshot, has gained momentum in recent weeks as the primary season spotlight turned to New Hampshire, where far-left candidates have scored a series of victories over centrists in what has become a broader ideological battle for the party's future.
Manzur is running on a platform that includes universal healthcare, raising the minimum wage to at least $20 per hour, abolishing ICE, and ending all military aid to Israel. She has accused Pappas of being a "genocide enabler," pointing to his support over the years from the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. "Chris Pappas has had his turn and has not been able to serve this state honorably," she said in an interview. "He hasn't done a good job in serving his corporate donors, his AIPAC foreign-aligned lobbies."
Pappas, who has been the frontrunner since Shaheen announced she would not seek re-election, dismissed the attacks and defended his record. "Israel's a historic ally of the United States, the only democracy in the region," he said, while also expressing sharp criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I think Netanyahu's being incredibly reckless right now," Pappas said, adding that he has fought to get big money out of the political system since he was elected to Congress in 2018.
Pappas, who enjoys strong establishment and union backing, framed himself as a pragmatic candidate for a state that is neither left-wing nor right-wing. "It's a state of voters who are pragmatic," he said, appealing to those he described as being between the "20 and 80 yard line on the political playing field." Manzur, however, argued that Pappas is borrowing her populist message after eight years in office without delivering results.
Republicans are waging their own internal battle over the influence of President Trump. The president endorsed John E. Sununu, a former senator and longtime GOP Trump critic, over Scott Brown, another former senator who served as one of Trump's first-term ambassadors. Sununu also has the backing of Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Brown, who has courted the MAGA base for over a year, accused Sununu of hiding from the president's endorsement. "He's got 70 endorsements on his website, but he doesn't have the president's. He never talks about it. He's embarrassed by it," Brown charged. He also claimed Sununu is "beholden" to Trump, Thune, and outside groups, arguing that "he doesn't work for the people of New Hampshire."
Sununu, who did not mention Trump by name when asked about the endorsement, emphasized his local support and grassroots momentum. "I'll have one job: stand up for the people of New Hampshire every single day," he said. "I don't need to make anyone in Washington happy. It's all about our state, our communities, our economy, and our small businesses."
Republicans have not won a Senate election in New Hampshire in 16 years, but they view this open seat as a top opportunity to flip a Democrat-held seat and protect their slim majority. The winners of Tuesday's primaries will face off in the general election, with control of the Senate potentially hanging in the balance.
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