Cook Shifts New Hampshire Senate Race to Toss-Up as Pappas Clings to 5- to 8-Point Poll Leads
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 3
Cook Shifts New Hampshire Senate Race to Toss-Up as Pappas Clings to 5- to 8-Point Poll Leads
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Oct 3
Summary
Cook Political Report moved New Hampshire’s Senate race from Lean Democratic to toss-up, a setback for Democrat Chris Pappas in a seat crucial to any bid to erase Republicans’ 53-47 Senate majority.
John E. Sununu has kept the contest close with stronger GOP spending, high name recognition and a powerful family brand, with some voters still confusing him with his more popular brother, former Gov. Chris Sununu.
Polls still show Pappas ahead by 5 and 8 points, but interviews suggest many voters see the race less as a candidate choice than as a referendum on President Donald Trump.
Trump’s 33% approval rating in New Hampshire cuts against Sununu, even as he tries to run as an independent voice by criticizing Trump on Iran and Canada tariffs while still relying on his endorsement and base.
The result leaves Democrats defending an unexpectedly competitive seat in a state Kamala Harris carried by 2.8 points in 2024, even as the party expands its Senate map elsewhere.