Four-term Congressman Chris Pappas of New Hampshire announced his bid Thursday to succeed retiring US Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat, next year.
“I’m running for Senate because our economy, our democracy, and our way of life are on the line, and New Hampshire deserves a senator who is grounded in the people, places, and values of this state,” Pappas said in a video announcement.
He added: “Like Senator Shaheen, I’ll always put New Hampshire first. You can count on me to lead the charge to confront this administration, self-dealing billionaires, and extreme politicians who threaten our future and our ability to get things done for New Hampshire.”
I’m ready to stand up to Donald Trump and his administration and fight for New Hampshire — but national Republicans are already attacking our campaign.
Can you chip in to help us defend against attacks from the GOP and their billionaire backers? pic.twitter.com/bT61MtYafQ
— Chris Pappas (@ChrisPappasNH) April 3, 2025
Pappas, 44, emerged as the most likely Democrat to succeed Shaheen, who turned 78 in January. She was the first woman elected to serve as both governor and senator in the United States. Shaheen, serving her third term in the Senate, announced in March that she would not seek reelection.
The Associated Press reports that Pappas could potentially face a formidable Republican opponent. Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is considering a run. The popular governor decided not to seek a fifth, two-year term last year.
Last year, Pappas defeated Republican former state Sen. Russell Prescott to win New Hampshire’s 1st District, which covers the eastern half the state and includes its largest city, Manchester. Pappas is from there. The district was once quite politically volatile, with party control flipping five times in six election cycles from 2006 to 2016.
Pappas, who considers himself a pragmatic voice in Washington, touted his support from women, veterans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during the campaign. He made abortion rights a top issue, calling Prescott “radically out of step” and accusing him of distrusting women to make health care decisions.
In 2022, Pappas defeated Republican candidate Karoline Leavitt, now White House press secretary. During that race, Leavitt said she believed the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump. Pappas said she “continues to double-down on the big lie.”
When elected on November 6, 2018, he became the first openly gay person representing New Hampshire in Congress.
Pappas was born in Manchester, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas. His paternal great-grandfather emigrated from Greece.
Pappas graduated from Harvard College, where he wrote for the Harvard Crimson, in 2002. He has also served as a board member of Southern New Hampshire Services and the Manchester Historic Association.
“As a proud Greek-American, I’m honored to launch the Hellenic Caucus for the 118th Congress,” said Papas in 2023 when he became co-chairman of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus for the 118th Congress.
“I’m committed to working alongside our bipartisan caucus leaders to advance sound policy that promotes the values of Hellenism and strengthens the relationship between the United States, Greece, and Cyprus.
We must work to bolster security cooperation, strengthen economic ties, and deepen energy cooperation with our democratic allies in the Eastern Mediterranean. I look forward to building on the successes from the last Congress and continuing this work with a growing bipartisan group of Hellenic Caucus members,” Papas said at the time.
