New Hampshire voters on both sides of the aisle made the safer bet Sept. 8 in what could be a quietly consequential battle for the U.S. Senate this fall.
Within minutes of the polls closing, results were called for the Democratic and Republican nominations for Senate, which easily went to Rep. Chris Pappas and former Sen. John E. Sununu, respectively.
The GOP is hoping to fortify their 53-47 Senate majority against a forecasted "blue wave" in the 2026 midterms and many believe one of their best options is in the Granite State, where retiring Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen has left a purple state wide open.
Recruiting Sununu was a big get for the GOP, which is promising to spend $17 million in the state this year to flip the seat. He comes
from a popular family in the state and served in the Senate previously, having defeated Jeanne Shaheen in 2002 before losing their rematch six years later.
"We need to shake up Washington with real reform," Sununun said during his victory speech Tuesday.
Pappas alluded to Democratic anxiety about the race during his speech, saying it will be a tough contest over the next eight weeks that will require "everyone under the tent" to win this fall.
Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the nonpartisan Sabato's Crystal Ball newsletter at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, said Democrats are still favored to hold the seat November.
"This is ultimately a Democratic-leaning state in federal races, and this is a Democratic leaning year," he said. "That is a lot for Sununu to overcome."
Further down the ballot was a race to fill Pappas' seat, which on the Democratic side featured a familiar name with Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of the outgoing senator, taking on Maura Sullivan, a retired Marine, for the nomination in one of the country's swingiest districts.
N.H.'s quiet Senate contest could be deciding factor
Weeks before the primary election Pappas and Sununu were already acting as if the general election was the only contest by largely ignoring their intra-party rivals.
That's in part because both sides understand the importance of New Hampshire, which former Vice President Kamala Harris won by a little less than three percentage points in 2024.
The GOP is defending six Senate seats this year, including places President Donald Trump won decisively, such as Texas and Iowa. Flipping the Granite State would ease the current heartburn consuming Republicans heading into the fall.
Sununu had the tougher task in defeating Scott Brown, a former Republican senator from Massachusetts who gained national fame in 2010 for winning the seat once held by Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, a liberal lion.
With Trump's endorsement, Sununu breezed through despite publicly disagreeing with the administration's foreign trade warsand calling the president a "loser" in a 2024 op-ed. He mentioned term limits and members of Congress paying for their own health insurance during his victory speech Tuesday before calling out Pappas' vote last year against ending the government shutdown.
"No more career politicians," Sununu said.
Pappas, who would be the first openly gay male senator if elected, won his primary by holding off a late surge from a more progressive foe. Karishma Manzur, a medical scientist and first-time candidate, supported Medicare for All and abolishing ICE while declining money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.
The congressman also outpaced Sununu and Brown combined in terms of fundraising, federal campaign records shows, while being considered the more electable candidate in November by most experts and strategists. He served four terms in the House representing New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, one of the swingiest in the nation.
Pappas evoked Trump in an attack ad released Tuesday and during his victory speech, calling out how the president's seen his personal wealth balloon by billions since returning to power.
"In fact, he says we're living in a 'golden age'. Well I think he's living on another planet, because does this feel like a golden age to you," Pappas said.
Forecasters rate New Hampshire as leaning Democratic, but polls of ageneral election matchup between the two show a virtual tie, which means both parties are expected to invest heavily into the state.
Shaheen, Sullivan's razor-thin finish for swing district
Pappas running for Senate left his House seat vacant and that attracted a crowded seven-person field with Maura Sullivan, a retired Marine, and Stefany Shaheen, the daughter of the outgoing senator, at the top.
Sullivan, an Iraq War veteran, and Shaheen, a former city councilor in Portsmouth, both agreed on abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs and pushing to impeach Trump should Democrats take back the House.
But the two jousted over other differences, such as Medicare for All. During one of their debates, for instance, Stefany Shaheen called out Sullivan, who served in the Obama administration, for supporting a plan that would keep private insurance as an option.
As of Tuesday evening, Stefany Shaheen was leading Sullivan by about two percentage points with 71% of precincts reporting.
On the GOP side, businessman Anthony DiLorenzo, a first-time candidate who Trump endorsed, easily prevailed over Hollie Noveletsky.
Covering the southeastern part of the state, New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District has been a presidential election bellwether since 2000.
Midterms featuring nepo-candidates show mixed results
Part of Sullivan's attack strategy was going after Stefany Shaheen's lineage as too privileged.
One 30-second TV spot featured a New Hampshire voter saying he wanted a "fighter, not a fancy last name."
Stefany Shaheen walked a tightrope throughout the campaign, saying at the outsetshe was "very proud of my mom's service," then later criticizing her mother's role as one eight Senate Democrats who approved a deal ending the 2025 government shutdown.
Other candidates with well-known family names have run in this year's primaries with mixed results, including Sununu's win at the top of the ticket. He is the son and brother of former New Hampshire governors.
Most recently Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., won a special runoff in August after taking the seat held by her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died in July. But other contenders connected to U.S. political dynasties, such as Jack Schlossberg, a grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, have lost their bids.
Those with family ties to politics still on the ballot this fall include 30-year-old Beau Bayh, the son and grandson of two popular Democrats, who won the party's nomination for secretary of state and Republican Rep. Tom Kean, R-NJ, who is the son of a former governor.
Contributing: Margie Cullen, Terry Collins
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dems, GOP go with safer bets in NH Senate primaries: 3 takeaways
