Pappas, Sununu Clash Over Social Security in 2026 New Hampshire Senate Debate
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 29
Pappas, Sununu Clash Over Social Security in 2026 New Hampshire Senate Debate
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 29
Summary
Chris Pappas and John E. Sununu traded sharp attacks Wednesday night in Manchester, centering their New Hampshire Senate debate on Social Security and the state’s high cost of living.
Pappas, 46, used the stage to cast Sununu as tied to President Trump, while Sununu, 62, argued he could return to Washington and shake up a system he first entered 30 years ago.
The matchup features two well-known New Hampshire political names rather than newcomers: Pappas is a four-term Democratic congressman, and Sununu is a former congressman and one-term senator who held the seat after winning in 2002.
The race is for the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and both parties see it as central to their fight for control of the Senate, with Pappas entering the debate leading in polls.