New Hampshire voters face a Senate choice Tuesday, Nov. 3, as U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democratic nominee, puts household expenses and rural health care access at the center of his campaign for the open seat.
Republican Senate candidate John E. Sununu and Constitution Party candidate Edmond Laplante are also on the ballot. Pappas won the Sept. 8 Democratic primary, and his campaign announced his nomination the following day. He entered the race with a campaign launch on April 3, 2025.
Pappas’s affordability agenda covers utility bills, groceries, child care, housing and health care costs. The campaign says its proposals are intended to benefit working families, small businesses, seniors and rural residents. It also links some cost pressures to tariffs, pharmaceutical companies and insurers.
On health care, the campaign supports restoring enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, widening access to care in rural areas and strengthening the health care workforce. Its platform does not provide cost estimates or explain how the proposals would be financed.
In a June campaign post, Pappas described his goals as “making life more affordable” and “strengthening access to quality health care.” When he launched his Senate bid, he said New Hampshire deserved a senator “grounded in the people, places, and values of this state.”
Shaheen’s March 2025 decision not to seek reelection left the seat open for 2026. Sununu represented New Hampshire in the Senate from 2003 to 2009. Voters will decide the contest on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
