Republican John Sununu and Democrat Chris Pappas secured victories in their New Hampshire Senate primaries, setting up a closely watched general election battle. NBC News projects both candidates won their respective primaries on Tuesday night. This race is considered pivotal for control of the Senate in the upcoming November elections.
Pappas, currently a U.S. Representative, defeated scientist Karishma Manzur, a Democratic Socialist, with 62% of the vote to Manzur's 36% with about one-fifth of the votes counted. Pappas had been viewed as the frontrunner to replace the retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and has already begun campaigning against Sununu, launching an attack ad in mid-August alleging Sununu gave tax breaks to pharmaceutical and insurance companies and then went to work for them, making $35 million. Pappas, on the other hand, stated he refuses corporate PAC money.
On the Republican side, former Senator John Sununu, a member of a prominent New Hampshire political family, won his primary with 70% support, defeating former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, who garnered 25% of the vote with about one-sixth counted. Sununu received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Republicans are optimistic that Sununu can make the race competitive, while Democrats dismiss this optimism, citing President Trump's past losses in the state.
This New Hampshire Senate seat is one of the few Democratic-held seats that Republicans believe they can flip, making it crucial for their efforts to fortify or regain a Senate majority. Conversely, for Democrats, holding onto this seat is essential to their hopes of flipping the Senate, as they need to gain four additional seats to control the upper chamber.
