Washington – Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running to represent New Hampshire in the Senate, said Sunday that “we are taking nothing for granted” as Election Day approaches, amid a “tough race” in the Granite State. “I’m hopeful about where we end up at the end of this, but we have to work for the next 23 days,” Pappas said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” Pappas, who has represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019, faces former Republican Sen. John Sununu in a race that could be key to determining which party controls the Senate. And while Republicans have been considering a possible opportunity to flip the seat, after Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced she would not seek re-election, CBS News rates New Hampshire as leaning Democratic. But Pappas said that given New Hampshire’s status as a purple state overall and the lack of early voting options in the state, his campaign is taking nothing for granted. The focus now is on “how to reach those independent and undecided voters, how to energize the base, how to reach Republicans over the next 23 days to win a difficult race,” he said. Pappas noted that the 2016 Senate race in New Hampshire came down to just over 1,000 votes and acknowledged how his opponent’s family has been dominant in Granite State politics. “I’m facing a candidate with a very famous political pedigree in New Hampshire. He’s been a United States senator before,” Pappas said. “But it’s not about going back to failed politicians with failed ideas from the past, it’s about looking to the future.” Sununu, son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu, represented New Hampshire in the House and Senate until losing his reelection bid to Shaheen in 2008. And with a history of rifts with President Trump, he has distanced himself from the president as he campaigns to return to the upper chamber. in the midst of an unpopular war with Iran and high gas prices. But Pappas tied Sununu’s campaign to the president’s agenda more broadly and positioned the race as a broader fight for the Senate majority. “The fact is, Donald Trump has said this: ‘Pretend I’m on the ballot,'” Pappas said. “It’s on the ballot through candidates like John Sununu, who will maintain his majority in the U.S. Senate, making it harder for us to hold this administration accountable to address the culture of corruption in Washington and fight to reduce costs for New Hampshire families.” When asked about Democrats’ priorities should they gain control of the House and Senate, Pappas said, “We have to be laser-focused on the economic challenges that people are experiencing right now.” “We have to put some victories on the board for workers and the middle class,” he said. said. “We can do this by building on the success of the housing bill we passed to invest in the affordable housing stock we need, to work to end this war and lower energy prices, to restore the cuts to health care that are kicking thousands of Granite Staters off their health insurance and making it harder for people to access the care they need.” On immigration enforcement, Pappas has emphasized the need for reforms, while other Democrats have called for dissolving Immigration and Customs Enforcement entirely. “We have to be realistic: Donald Trump will be president for the next two years. We have to find every leverage point we can to stop the disgusting abuses we’ve seen from ICE,” Pappas said. “We have to make sure we go after the worst criminals who are breaking the law, while respecting due process rights and making sure immigrants are part of our extended American family. And the people of New Hampshire support that.” 2026 Midterm Elections More Go Deeper with The Free Press
