New Hampshire’s Senate Race Leans Dem, but the State Is—Well, You Know
But in 2024, the Democratic National Committee jilted New Hampshire and chose South Carolina to vote first in the presidential primary. Last month, the state was snubbed again. South Carolina will once again kick off the Democratic primaries in 2028.
But New Hampshire will be damned if Americans take it, so to speak, for granite. Fortunately this year’s Senate race is a nail-biter, and Republicans view the race as one of their pickup opportunities. Sure, the contest doesn’t have the earthquake vibes of Talarico-Paxton in Texas or El Sayed-Rogers in Michigan. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a thick plot, suspense, and some good twists.
First off, the candidates. Odds are on Republican John E. Sununu and Democratic Representative Chris Pappas to win their respective primaries on September 8. They’ll then vie for the seat of three-term Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who announced her retirement in March. According to Polymarket, Sununu’s and Pappas’s chances of winning their primaries (against MAGA Scott Brown and DSA Karishma Manzur) are over 90 percent, though one recent poll showed Manzur, a biochemist and peace activist, gaining on Pappas.