Chris Pappas beat former Sen. John E. Sununu to hold New Hampshire’s open Senate seat for Democrats — becoming the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate. The AP called the race at about 8:20 p.m. ET.
Chris Pappas grew up working in his family’s restaurant, the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, a New Hampshire landmark founded by his great-grandfather and famous as a stop for presidential candidates. The family is credited with inventing the chicken tender there in 1974. Pappas, 46, is still one of its owners.
After Harvard, he came home and climbed New Hampshire politics one office at a time: the state House, Hillsborough County treasurer, the Executive Council, and then, in 2018, the U.S. House. He has served four terms representing the Manchester area, and in 2018 he became the state’s first openly gay member of Congress.
On Tuesday he beat John E. Sununu, a former senator trying to return to Washington, for the seat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen retired from.
Pappas is now the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate. Watch how a man known in Washington as a pragmatist fits into a changed Senate.
Fast facts
- Age: 46
- Party: Democratic
- Office: U.S. Senator
- State: New Hampshire
- Previous job: U.S. Representative (New Hampshire’s 1st district)
- Called by AP: About 8:20 p.m. ET, Nov. 3, 2026
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
