Pappas offers experienced, fresh face for one of Granite State's US Senate seats

Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) has the experience of running an iconic family business, as well as serving Granite Staters at both the state and federal level in a fairly short time.

With longtime New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on the verge of retirement, the 45-year-old Manchester native hopes to bring his down-to-Earth mentality and government experience to the U.S. Senate.

Running for Shaheen's seat, while he has sung her praises, he thinks it's time for a fresh face in office.

About Chris Pappas

Pappas graduated with the Manchester Central High School class of 1998, and went on to study at Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor of arts in government in 2002.

After being elected to the Statehouse in 2002, and serving two terms, Pappas was elected treasurer of Hillsborough County, followed by serving three terms as an executive councilor, until 2018. He then threw his hat in the ring for the open seat in the 1st Congressional District, and stormed to a win. He was reelected three times, in 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Pappas was the first openly gay member of Congress from the Granite State, and is co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. 

He has been devoted to fighting for the Equality Act, which would stop discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He feels strongly about the cause, and continuously stands up for everyone's rights by introducing legislation and working with other leaders to ensure equality for the LGBTQ community.

New blood in the Senate

Being in Washington since he was in his mid-30s, Pappas already has federal government experience most don’t achieve in a lifetime. He has served on the Veterans Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure committees, and plans to use knowledge obtained in the House to continued to properly serve the people of New Hampshire.

In an interview earlier this month, Pappas said he wants to make sure the government is working in the best interest of the Granite State, from supporting small businesses or standing up for veterans, to finding ways to bring investment back to New Hampshire.

“That’s one thing that Jeanne Shaheen has always done well,” Pappas said. “She’s provided top-notch constituent service. She understands the communities. She goes to bat for our cities and towns in Washington. That’s the kind of leadership I want to continue.”

However, Pappas said he thinks it's time for a change.

“It’s going to take someone who understands New Hampshire, who knows New Hampshire values, and has shown the ability to stand up for what’s right,” Pappas said. “That’s my track record as an executive councilor, and in the few terms I’ve serve in Congress, of trying to take on corporate special interests, whether it’s the insurance companies or pharmaceutical companies to lower costs.”

Standing up to Trump

Pappas criticized President Donald Trump for attempting to nationalize elections, leveraging the military as a political tool, and using Immigration and Customs Enforcement to divide America. He said there is legislation that has made it harder for people to get access to healthcare and food assistance, and provides tax breaks for the rich.

“I think we’ve got just a misalignment of priorities in Washington,” Pappas said. “We do need to reestablish some common sense and focus on the needs of the people of New Hampshire, but I’ll always be looking for those opportunities where we can move legislation to work together. We should have a sense of common purpose in this country.”

Pappas said the Senate needs someone who will stand up to Trump, who has been “blowing through all the guardrails right now.” He said Trump has a disregard for the law and Constitution.

“I fail to see how some of my opponents, including former Sen. John Sununu, would be able to provide those checks and balances,” Pappas said. “When he was last in Washington, he fully embraced an unpopular president at the time, George W. Bush.”

Pappas criticized Sununu’s support of “forever wars” and privatizing Social Security, and said he was not only connected to, but worked for special interests for the last 18 years.

“I think we’ve got to turn the page,” Pappas said. “We need someone who is going to prioritize what New Hampshire really needs right now, and that’s a focus on reestablishing checks and balances, and fighting to deliver a fair economy.”

Bipartisan cooperation

Pappas hasn’t been afraid to cross the political aisle when needed, and he said this is “the New Hampshire way,” to make an effort to come to common ground. He said it's important to stand up for what is right, and look for opportunities to “get stuff done and to make peoples’ lives better.”

He's demonstrated this as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, where he worked on legislation to protect veterans at risk of foreclosure on their homes. He said working across the aisle has helped deliver more resources for mental health and addiction treatment. The bipartisan infrastructure law was also passed by leaders of opposing views working together.

“I think you always have to hold out hope that you can get things done,” Pappas said. “Politics is the art of the possible, but at the same time, you’ve got to stand up for values. I think this is a moment where the very nature of our democracy is under threat.”

He said one of his favorite parts of the job is being on the road, meeting his constituents. It's refreshing, he said, since Washington politics are so divisive, and it's noticeable that everyday people usually agree on where they want to go.

“They want safer communities,” Pappas said. “They want their family to be healthy. They want more opportunity for their kids. They want good education. They want a clean environment. There are lots of ways that we’ve got to get past the usual left vs. right, Republican vs. Democrat lense, and focus on what is truly best for communities and families here in New Hampshire.”

The issues

If elected, Pappas said first and foremost, the cost of living crisis needs to be addressed. He said more federal tools are needed to ensure affordable housing for families.

He also wants to protect healthcare access, saying he is deeply concerned about rollbacks of Affordable Care Act tax credits, and cuts to Medicaid. Pappas said this could be devastating, especially to rural New Hampshire, as it will raise premiums.

Energy is another top issue, relating directly to the war in Iran.

“In addition to that, just a top priority to me, is going to be changing the way that Washington works, and try to realize some reform to a broken system.”

Pappas also proposed term limits, saying people in Washington get so far removed from real life, and “need a reality check.”

“We have people run, and serve, and stay far too long in Washington, D.C., so we need some generational change. We need to go after the culture of corruption that has been a hallmark, frankly, of both political parties in Washington.”

Pappas has been serving in Washington since 2019, but before that, he was an executive councilor, state representative, and the owner of Manchester’s Puritan Backroom, a restaurant his family started more than a century ago. The Senate hopeful said his previous experience helps him have a better understanding of what the public really needs.

“You really look to create a feedback loop between peoples’ lived challenges and what government really can do to make their lives better and deliver,” Pappas said. “When you’ve served at the state level here in New Hampshire, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and work with people of diverse points of view. Washington needs to do a lot more of that, if we’re going to overcome some of the challenges we face.”