Sununu calls Pappas a career politician; Pappas urges change
Republican groups invested far more money in New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate contest, allowing them to dominate the airwaves during the campaign’s closing month. Campaign cash poured in from all sides, but data compiled by AdImpact and OpenSecrets.org showed Republicans were spending considerably more as the race tightened. Voters were deluged with attack ads and mailers.
While outsiders appeared on ballots elsewhere Tuesday, both New Hampshire candidates had Washington records and were trying to tap into anti-establishment angst from the inside. Republican nominee John E. Sununu spent a dozen years on Capitol Hill and unsuccessfully tried for six more, yet has criticized Democratic U.S. House member Chris Pappas as an ineffective and out-of-touch “career politician.” Pappas tells voters “our country is ready for change” while seeking to remain in Washington.
At last week’s debate, Sununu said, “Chris Pappas talks about all the things he wants to do and wants to accomplish, but he’s been there for eight years and he hasn’t gotten the job done.” He added, “I’ll focus on the right issues. I’ll stand up to my party and the president when it’s right for New Hampshire, and I’ll get things done.” Pappas said at last week’s debate, “This is a time for a new generation of leadership in the United States Senate who understands the problems New Hampshire is facing, who will stand up to the recklessness of this administration, lower costs and make life better for Granite Staters.”
Republicans accused Pappas of catering to Washington lobbyists and party bosses, describing the race as “problem solver Sununu” versus “puppet Pappas.” A National Republican Senatorial Committee advertisement concluded, “New Hampshire needs a leader, not a lightweight.”
Pro-Pappas advertisements accused Sununu of making millions off his political connections and highlighted the Sununu name appearing in the Epstein files. In a 2010 email, Jeffrey Epstein said Sununu “has good stories.” It was unclear whether Epstein meant the current candidate or his father, John H. Sununu. Sununu said neither he nor his father ever met or communicated with Epstein or the email’s recipient.
Pappas also sought to link Sununu to Donald Trump, who endorsed Sununu during the Republican primary despite Sununu once calling him a loser. Pappas accused Sununu of having “a selective memory about what’s been going on over the last couple of years” and told him, “The guy who gave you his complete and total endorsement is wrecking New Hampshire’s Main Street economy.”
Pappas said, “This election is about Team New Hampshire versus Team Trump.” He added, “This is not a moment to restore someone who was out of step with New Hampshire before and bring them back into power.”
Only one person named Chris is on the ballot: Democratic U.S. House member Chris Pappas. John E. Sununu is the son and brother of former governors and served three terms in the U.S. House and one in the Senate before Jeanne Shaheen ousted him in 2008. His first name is conspicuously absent from his green, blue and white campaign signs, and critics say he is counting on voters confusing him with his popular younger brother, Chris Sununu, who served eight years as governor.
Sununu, once the Senate’s youngest member, is now 62 and is older than Shaheen was when she touted her youth and speed in a campaign advertisement. He has also criticized Pappas as an ineffective and out-of-touch “career politician,” despite Sununu having traveled a similar path from the House to the Senate and coming from a family whose name is synonymous with Republican politics in New Hampshire.
Sununu easily defeated former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and a handful of lesser-known candidates to win the Republican nomination in September. Pappas, who has represented the state’s 1st Congressional District for four terms, defeated a democratic socialist and other opponents by a similarly wide margin to win the Democratic primary.
Pappas, 46, grew up working in his family’s Manchester restaurant, which opened in 1917 and claims to have invented chicken tenders. After college, he served as a state lawmaker, county treasurer and state executive councilor before being elected to Congress.
New Hampshire voters have not elected a Republican to Congress since 2010 and have voted for Democrats for president since 2004. Ticket-splitting remains common, and voters are heading into the elections with a Republican governor and a Republican-majority legislature.
The seat is open because Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided not to seek reelection. Democrats are trying to flip Republican-held seats to retake the Senate, while some Democrats are concerned about keeping the party’s foothold in New Hampshire. The contest is one of a handful that could determine the balance of power in the Senate for the rest of Donald Trump’s second presidency. If elected, Pappas would become the first openly gay male U.S. senator.