Pappas becomes first openly gay man elected to Senate, keeps N.H. blue

Driving the news: Pappas led Sununu 61% to 38% with 20% of the votes counted.

• He'll succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in January.

Catch up quick: Republicans saw New Hampshire as a top pickup opportunity, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune campaigning for Sununu in the competitive race, despite polls showing Pappas ahead.

• Most polls compiled by the New York Times in the weeks before Election Day showed the Democratic Pappas leading Sununu by 5 to 8 percentage points.

Zoom in: Although President Trump endorsed him, Sununu has shown daylight with the president, criticizing his trade war with Canada and his so-called anti-weaponization fund — and he backed Trump's primary opponents in 2016 and 2024.

• Still, prominent New Hampshire Republicans — including Don Bolduc, the Trump-endorsed 2022 Senate nominee — endorsed Pappas in mid-October, accusing Sununu of being too beholden to the president.

Between the lines: Republicans welcomed Sununu's entry into the race because of his family's long ties to New Hampshire politics.

• Sununu served in the Senate from 2003 to 2009 before losing to Shaheen in 2008. His brother Chris served as governor for eight years.
• Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) posted on X in October 2025 that Sununu's decision to run catapulted New Hampshire to "a top-tier U.S. Senate race."

The bottom line: Pappas' win reflects a preference New Hampshire voters expressed in pre-election polling: They wanted a check on Trump's power.

Go deeper: Trump's former Senate pick backs Democrat in New Hampshire

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.