Republican Chris Bright is ending his campaign for Congress.
The first candidate to enter the race for New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District seat, Bright said this week that he's dropping out to support an unnamed Republican who has yet to declare they are running.
Bright, a businessman and West Point graduate from Derry, placed fourth in the GOP primary when he ran for the 1st District seat last year.
In a statement announcing the end of his 2026 bid, Bright praised his campaign for putting in what he called incredible work, but due to what he called the likely entrance into the race of a candidates who had more connections and more money, "I have decided to step down as a candidate and merge my efforts with this new candidate who will be announcing their candidacy in the near future.”
Even with Bright's exit, the race in the 1st District remains crowded. Three other Republicans are now running, while six Democrats are vying to win their party's nomination.
The race as seen as wide open due to incumbent Democrat Congressman Chris Pappas' decision to not to seek reelection but instead to run for U.S. Senate next year.
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