Democrat NH Senator Backs Rep’s Bid for Elevation to Retiring Lawmaker’s Senate Seat

Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., received a major political boost in his bid to move up to the Senate when he was endorsed Friday by Sen. Maggie Hassan, his fellow New Hampshire Democrat.

Pappas is running for the nomination to be the Democrat candidate in the November 2026 election to replace Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Shaheen in March announced her intent to retire at the end of her current term. 

Hassan is a prominent figure in the Granite State, having previously served as governor from 2013 to 2017. She has represented New Hampshire in the Senate since then. Pappas has also been endorsed by another Maggie: Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.Y.

Republicans are facing an uphill battle for the seat, in a light-blue state that went for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election by nearly 3 points. Popular former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu opted against a run, and former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., is still mulling jumping into the race. Brown unsuccessfully attempted to unseat Shaheen in 2014 after moving to New Hampshire.

Pappas is a rising star in the state Democratic Party, having been elected to represent New Hampshire in the House of Representatives in 2018. At age 44, he is markedly younger than the current cast of Democrat leaders in the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is 74, and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., 80, who announced Wednesday he is also retiring. Shaheen is 78 years old. 

Prior to his tenure in the House, Pappas served for six years on the New Hampshire Executive Council, a government panel that advises and can veto certain actions of the governor of the state. He also had stints as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and as treasurer of one of the state’s counties.

Pappas was elected to his state House seat the same year he graduated from Harvard College with a degree in government. A great-grandson of a Greek immigrant to the U.S. who co-founded restaurants and ice cream shops in Manchester, N.H., Pappas has carried on the family tradition as of 2020 as a co-owner of the Puritan Backroom, a restaurant that has become popular among presidential hopefuls making stops in New Hampshire for their campaigns.