Republicans hoping to fortify their Senate majority against a forecast "blue wave" this fall are eyeing New Hampshire where retiring Democratic incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has left a pivotal seat open.
The GOP is defending six states this year that experts rate as competitive, including places President Donald Trump won decisively such as Texas and Iowa. But the Granite State is one of the few Democratic-held seats that could be flipped.
Republican officials have mostly backed former Sen. John E. Sununu, who carries a famous last name in the state and Trump's coveted endorsement.
Scott Brown, a former Republican senator from Massachusetts, is also running in the primary. But Sununu has focused his attacks on the likely Democratic nominee: Rep.
Chris Pappas, who is fending off surging first-time progressive candidate Karishma Manzur in his primary.
A poll conducted by Emerson College earlier this year showed a hypothetical general election matchup between Sununu and Pappas was a virtual tie. Both parties are expected to invest heavily into New Hampshire.
Further down the state's ballot is a race to fill Pappas' seat on the Democratic side, which is deadlocked between Maura Sullivan, a retired Marine, and Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of the outgoing senator.
Pappas faces challenge from left in NH Dem Senate primary
05:00 PM ET, September 8 2026, Margie CullenRep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, has been seen as the leading candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, but he faces an increasingly competitive challenge from scientist and first-time candidate Karishma Manzur as recent polls show her closing the gap.
Pappas, a four-term representative for the state’s First Congressional District, is a moderate Democrat who has stressed his ability to attract independents, blue and red voters to his campaign to ensure the seat doesn’t flip to the Republicans. Manzur has highlighted her progressive agenda, including Medicare-for-all and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and has seen rising support among socialist, progressive and younger voters.
Sununu vs. Brown in NH GOP Senate primary
04:50 PM ET, September 8 2026, Margie Cullen
Republicans see New Hampshire’s Senate seat as a pickup opportunity, and two heavy hitters are running for the nomination: former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu and former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown.
Sununu is leading in the polls and secured President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu and son of former Gov. John Sununu, his family name plays well in the Granite State.
How swingy is NH?
04:40 PM ET, September 8 2026, Margie CullenRepublicans are hoping to flip New Hampshire’s open Senate seat, currently held by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, to protect their Senate majority against possible losses in states such as North Carolina.
New Hampshire has not voted for a Republican for president since 2000 nor for Senate since 2010. Both of its members in the House of Representatives are Democrats as well.
However, the state also has a Republican trifecta in state government, and it voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by less than 3% in the 2024 presidential election.
And the state’s First Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Chris Pappas, is “one of the more purpley” congressional seats left in the country, according to New Hampshire Democratic operative Steve Marchand. The last Republican to represent this district was former Rep. Frank Guinta from 2015 - 2017. If a Republican hopes to win statewide, Marchand said, they must do well in this district.
DOJ monitoring sites in NH
04:19 PM ET, September 8 2026, Margie CullenThe U.S. Department of Justice is monitoring polls in two New Hampshire cities on Sept. 8 in a move they say is to “ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”
The DOJ has sent four staff each to Manchester and Nashua, the two biggest cities in the state.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire is proud to partner with the Civil Rights Division on election integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan for the District of New Hampshire in a press release on Sept. 8. “New Hampshire’s elections, including our critical First-in-the-Nation Primary, deserve to instill the highest possible confidence. My office will continue bringing together state and federal partners to ensure that Granite State elections are free, fair, and in accordance with all applicable laws.”
It’s not unusual for the federal government to send observers into local voting precincts and has been done under presidents of both parties. However, it comes at a particular moment of tension this year after the New Hampshire secretary of state’s office rejected the federal government’s demand for non-public voter rolls last year and as President Donald Trump continues to make unfounded claims about widespread election fraud.
In a July post on social media, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said that the Justice Department would be sending monitors to Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Virginia. She said monitors would be sent to “places where there have been problems with the integrity of elections.” However, she did not get into specific instances of “problems” in any of the states, including New Hampshire.
The secretary of state’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NH primary updates: Surging progressive, Trump-backed Sununu headline races
