In New Hampshire, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas defeated former Sen. John Sununu, a Republican backed by President Donald Trump, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ. Pappas will be the first out gay man to serve in the upper chamber.
This race, which had no incumbent, is one of a handful of competitive elections that will determine which party ultimately takes control of the Senate. Pappas’ win protects a vulnerable seat for Democrats, who need to gain four seats to clinch a majority.
Pappas’ win marks only the third time in history that an out LGBTQ+ person has been elected to the Senate. The first was Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, who took office in 2013. The second was former senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned independent from Arizona. Laphonza Butler, the country’s first Black lesbian senator, was not elected: California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her to the position in 2023 for a 14-month term.
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Pappas’ identity as a gay man was not central to his campaign, but he didn’t shy away from sharing his life with voters, either. In his campaign announcement video, while promising voters that he can help get the country “back on track,” Pappas and his husband hold hands and share a loving look.
Pappas previously represented New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District for four terms, from 2019 until this year. Before that, he served two terms in the state House of Representatives.
Pappas is known as a moderate Democrat who takes a bipartisan approach to politics: While in Congress, he frequently broke with his party on House votes. But he has consistently earned top ratings from Reproductive Freedom for All, an abortion rights group, and AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest federation of unions. As a co-chair for the Congressional Equality Caucus, which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in Congress, Pappas has been a lead sponsor for major pro-LGBTQ+ bills.
Pappas entered the race after Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen did not seek reelection, leaving the seat open. In the primary, he defeated progressive challenger and democratic socialist Karishma Manzur.
He outraised Sununu by over $15 million, according to Open Secrets, which tracks money in politics. Both candidates received millions in out-of-state funds.
Pappas was endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as figures across the aisle like Don Bolduc, the 2022 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, and former GOP state Sen. Rick Russman. Those endorsements signal a willingness among some Republicans to break with the party as led by President Donald Trump.
Sununu, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2009, attempted to distance himself from Trump later in the election. He released an ad in late October saying he had “never even met the man” and pledging opposition to the president’s policies if they hurt people in New Hampshire.
Both men campaigned on using their past experiences in Congress to address issues like healthcare, affordability and protecting Social Security.
On the campaign trail, Sununu did not mention Pappas’ identity as a gay man — giving voters a rare moment of civility during a midterms cycle characterized by name-calling and overtly cruel personal attacks in races across the country.
