Democratic Representative Chris Pappas is running for re-election in New Hampshire's Senate race, described as a "tough race" with Republican John Sununu. On CBS News' "Face the Nation," Pappas emphasized his campaign will not take anything for granted and highlighted the importance of reaching independent voters and energizing the base in this purple state. With 23 days left until election day, Pappas stressed the need to focus on current economic challenges and positioned the race as crucial for determining Senate control.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Democratic candidate Rep. Chris Pappas is campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire as of October 11, 2026, emphasizing the importance of mobilizing voters in a state known for its purple political leanings and lack of early voting options. CBS News projects the race to be leaning Democrat but Pappas remains cautious, stating that his campaign will focus on reaching independent swing voters and energizing the base over the remaining 23 days until Election Day. The incumbent is former GOP Sen. John Sununu, making this a pivotal contest that could determine which party controls the Senate. Pappas highlights healthcare as a key issue, aiming to restore cuts to Medicaid and lower costs for New Hampshire families, while also addressing affordable housing and reducing energy prices. He emphasizes building on recent legislative successes like the housing bill and stresses the need to prevent disruptions in rural healthcare and access to care for underserved areas.
Written for “Chris Pappas Election Remarks” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 72362: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-11
Washington — Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who's running to
, said on Sunday that "we're taking nothing for granted" as Election Day approaches, amid a "tough race" in the Granite State.
asserted
Day → run → State
"I'm hopeful about where we're going to end up at the end of this thing, but we've got to put in the work over the next 23 days," Pappas said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
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Pappas → go → Brennan
Pappas, who's represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019, is facing off against former GOP Sen. John Sununu in a race that could be key to determining which party controls the Senate.
uncertain
party → represent → Senate
And although Republicans have been eyeing a possible opportunity to flip the seat, after Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced she wouldn't seek reelection, CBS News rates New Hampshire as leaning Democrat.
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News → eye → Democrat
But Pappas said given New Hampshire's status as a purple state generally and the state's lack of early voting options, his campaign is taking nothing for granted.
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campaign → say → nothing
The focus now is on "how we get to those independent, swing voters, how we energize the base, how we reach out to Republicans over the next 23 days to win a tough race," he said.
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he → get → race
Pappas noted that the 2016 Senate race in New Hampshire came down to just over 1,000 votes, and acknowledged how his opponent's family has been dominant in Granite State politics.
"I'm up against a candidate with a very famous political pedigree in New Hampshire.
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I → note → Hampshire
He's been a U.S. senator before," Pappas said.
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Pappas → say → ?
"But this isn't about going back to the failed politicians with failed ideas from the past, it's about looking ahead to the future."
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it → go → future
Sununu, the son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu, represented New Hampshire in the House and Senate until he lost his reelection bid to Shaheen in 2008.
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he → represent → 2008
And with a record of breaking with President Trump, he's distanced himself from the president as he campaigns to return to the upper chamber amid an unpopular war with Iran and high gas prices.
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he → break → Iran
But Pappas tied Sununu's campaign to the president's agenda more broadly, and positioned the contest as a larger fight for the Senate majority.
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Pappas → tie → majority
"The fact is, Donald Trump has said this, that 'pretend I'm on the ballot,'" Pappas said.
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Pappas → say → ballot
"He's on the ballot through candidates like John Sununu, who will maintain his majority in the U.S. Senate, will make it harder for us to hold this administration to account to address the culture of corruption in Washington and fight to lower costs for New Hampshire families."
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us → maintain → families
Asked about Democrats' priorities should they win control of the House and Senate, Pappas said "we have to focus like a laser on the economic challenges that people are living right now."
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people → ask → that
"We have to put some wins on the board for workers and the middle class," he said.
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he → have → workers
"We can do that by building on the success of the housing bill that we passed to invest in the affordable housing stock that we need, to work to end this war and lower energy prices, to restore the cuts to healthcare that are kicking thousands of Granite Staters off of their health insurance and making it harder for people to access the care that they need."
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they → do → that
On immigration enforcement, Pappas has emphasized the need for reforms, while other Democrats have called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be disbanded entirely.
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Enforcement → emphasize → reforms
"We have to be realistic — Donald Trump's going to be president for the next two years.
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Trump → have → years
We got to find every point of leverage we possibly can to rein in the disgusting abuses we have seen from ICE," Pappas said.
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Pappas → got → ICE
"We have to make sure that we are going after the worst of the worst criminals that are violating the law, while also respecting due process rights and making sure that immigrants are part of our extended American family.
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immigrants → have → family
And people in New Hampshire support that."
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people → support → that
The Aporia
