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Sununu Turns Anti-Incumbent Playbook on Pappas in New Hampshire Senate Race
ReSununu Turns Anti-Incumbent Playbook on Pappas in New Hampshire Senate Race
Former Sen. John E. Sununu is accusing Rep. Chris Pappas of failing to deliver for New Hampshire after eight years in Congress, as the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen shifts toward toss-up.
Former Sen. John E. Sununu is turning the Democrats' anti-incumbent playbook against his opponent in New Hampshire's closely watched Senate race, charging that Rep. Chris Pappas has been in Washington for eight years without delivering results for the state.
Sununu, the Republican nominee seeking to return to Capitol Hill after 18 years away, made the accusation in an exclusive interview as he and Pappas compete for the seat held by retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. The contest is one of roughly a dozen races that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the Senate.
«He has attempted very little in Congress. He's accomplished even less,» Sununu said of Pappas, a four-term congressman. Sununu specifically pointed to Pappas's tenure on the Transportation Committee, claiming New Hampshire ranks last in New England in highway funding. «His ineffectiveness is doing damage to the state because we're not getting the support we need from Washington,» he said.
Federal and state figures show New Hampshire receives some of the lowest total and per-capita levels of federal funding for roads, highways, and bridges in the country, though it does not rank last in every metric. Pappas earlier this year introduced the Highway Fair Share Act, which would require each state to receive at least 0.5% of total federal-aid highway formula funding. In June, Pappas and the all-Democratic congressional delegation highlighted $9 million in federal funding for New Hampshire projects.
Pappas Campaign Manager Rachel Petri defended the congressman's record, saying he has led efforts to expand healthcare benefits for 3.5 million veterans, bring high-speed internet to towns across the state, put more money back in the pockets of working parents, and secure millions for roads, bridges, and buildings. Petri said Pappas is rated among the most effective and bipartisan lawmakers, and she contrasted his record with Sununu's votes to cut Medicare, his efforts to privatize Social Security, and his backing of President Donald Trump's tariffs and war with Iran.
The race has drawn new attention from nonpartisan handicappers. The Cook Political Report shifted its rating from lean Democrat to toss-up, following a similar move by Inside Elections earlier this month. The changes mark a rare favorable development for Republicans in a cycle where the party in power typically faces political headwinds. Republicans are also navigating a difficult climate shaped by persistent inflation, soaring fuel prices due to the ongoing war with Iran, and Trump's underwater approval ratings.
Sununu's anti-incumbent argument carries a degree of irony: he served six years in the House and one term in the Senate before losing a rematch with Shaheen in 2008. He touted his legislative record under both Democratic and Republican presidents and congresses, but emphasized his time away from Washington. «I've been in the private sector for the last 16 years,» he said, citing work with tech firms, small businesses, the Waterville Valley ski area, and teaching college. «It's a perspective that I think is missing from Washington.»
Pappas, in a recent interview, described New Hampshire voters as pragmatic and focused on solutions. «I can demonstrate the ways that I've been working on those issues,» he said, pointing to expanding healthcare access, building more affordable housing, and standing up to an administration that he said ignores the day-to-day concerns of Granite Staters.
Sununu was not alone in criticizing Pappas as a do-nothing incumbent. Karishma Manzur, a first-time candidate and scientist who ran a longshot socialist primary challenge, said Pappas only wants a «cushy job» in Washington and does the «bare minimum.» Pappas defeated Manzur by a two-to-one margin in the primary, while Sununu won the GOP nomination in a landslide over former Sen. Scott Brown.
With the general election approaching, the New Hampshire race remains a key battleground in the fight for Senate control, and both candidates are sharpening their messages on effectiveness, experience, and delivering for the state.
