Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire Senate seat, becoming first openly gay man elected to the chamber
Democratic Representative Chris Pappas has defeated former Republican Senator John Sununu in New Hampshire, holding a crucial open Senate seat for his party and making history as the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate.
Democratic Representative Chris Pappas has won the open United States Senate seat in New Hampshire, defeating Republican former Senator John E. Sununu in one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Associated Press called the race for Pappas on Tuesday evening, when, with about a fifth of the vote counted, he led Sununu by roughly 60 per cent to 38 per cent. Sununu conceded the race shortly afterwards, speaking to supporters in Manchester.
Pappas’s victory makes him the first openly gay man elected to the United States Senate, a historic milestone noted by projection desks and campaign watchers as the result was confirmed.
Pappas, 46, has represented New Hampshire’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives since 2019. He ran for the Senate instead of seeking another House term, building his campaign around his record in Congress and his family’s long-running restaurant business in Manchester.
Sununu, a former senator from a prominent New Hampshire political family, held the Senate seat from 2003 to 2009 before losing it to the retiring senator Pappas will succeed. His return bid was backed by national Republican groups that saw New Hampshire as a possible pickup opportunity.
Energy costs became a central issue in the campaign, in a state where high prices for petrol and home heating oil have weighed heavily on households. Pappas argued that the Trump administration’s war with Iran had disrupted oil shipments and driven prices up, while Sununu argued that increased domestic energy production would bring prices down.
Pappas will succeed Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring after 18 years in the Senate and three terms in office. Shaheen first won the seat in 2008 by defeating Sununu, and her departure left the seat open for the first time in nearly two decades.
The result is a hold for the Democrats rather than a gain, which matters for the battle for Senate control. Republicans entered election night with a 53–47 majority, and Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take the chamber, so holding New Hampshire keeps that path open without narrowing the margin for error elsewhere.
Pappas’s win came on a night when early Senate results also pointed to Democratic holds in Virginia and Georgia, while counting continued across the country and several other key races remained too close to call.
Attention will now turn to the remaining Senate contests, where the balance of power will be decided, and to Pappas’s transition from the House to the Senate ahead of the new Congress taking office in January.
More in USA
USAUS midterms: Wes Moore and Josh Shapiro win second terms as Maryland and Pennsylvania governors
USAUS midterms: early results project Ossoff and Warner Senate wins as counting continues across the country
USA