Congressman Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire Democratic Senate primary

Pappas fends off challenge from progressive Karishma Manzur in seat to be vacated by retiring Jeanne Shaheen

Congressman Chris Pappas beat back progressive challenger Karishma Manzur in the Democratic primary for US Senate on Tuesday, advancing as most observers expected to what will be a closely watched general election that is critical to Democratic hopes of flipping the upper chamber.

The two were competing for the nomination that opened up after Jeanne Shaheen, 79, the state’s three‑term incumbent Democratic senator, announced her retirement.

Pappas, a popular centrist, has served in the House since 2019 and has crossed the aisle at various points . He calls himself “battle‑tested” and has consolidated establishment backing, earning endorsements from leading Democratic lawmakers and former vice‑president Kamala Harris.

His family’s name also carries weight in New Hampshire: the Pappases own the Puritan Backroom, the century‑old Manchester restaurant famed for allegedly inventing the chicken tender and long embedded in the state’s retail‑politics circuit.

Support for Israel played a large role in the primary, as it has in many intraparty contests this year. Manzur, who supports Medicare for All and higher taxes on mega‑corporations and the ultra‑wealthy, has repeatedly highlighted the money Pappas has received from donors aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). She casts him as milquetoast and ineffective. “I was tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils and still seeing so much pain and suffering right here in my state,” she said.

Pappas has long backed US aid to Israel but told the Guardian that Benjamin Netanyahu was “not a trustworthy ally of the US” and said he hoped the Israeli prime minister is ousted in the country’s October election. Pappas noted he has rejected corporate Pac money in this race but did not directly address his support from pro‑Israel donors, instead pointing to a “broad‑based effort” of individual contributors that have supported his Senate bid.

Pappas will face the Donald Trump-endorsed former senator John E Sununu, who is seeking a return to the seat he once held and is part of a political dynasty that includes his father and brother, both former governors.

Some Democrats worry New Hampshire could become a sleeper risk – a state where Republicans control the legislature but have not won a Senate race since 2010, when Kelly Ayotte, now the governor, captured a seat.