New Hampshire Executive Council member Chris Pappas won New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District Democratic primary Tuesday evening, teeing off a race against a to-be-determined Republican opponent.
Pappas gained victory over 10 other Democrats, taking 46 percent of the vote with 51 percent of precincts reporting. The former state legislator will likely face off against Republican primary candidates Eddie Edwards or Andy Sanborn in the Nov. 6 general election.
Pappas was first elected to the state’s five-member Executive Council, which advises the governor and has certain veto powers, in 2012. Before that, he served as Hillsborough County Treasurer and in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, according to Pappas’s Executive Council biography page.
Pappas’s main opponent in the primary was fellow Harvard alum Maura Sullivan, who was Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs under former president Barack Obama. Sullivan took 29 percent of the vote with 51 percent of precincts reporting.
Their race symbolized that of the insider versus new blood — Pappas’s family has had ties to New Hampshire for generations, while Sullivan moved to the state in 2017.
Pappas also beat out Democratic primary candidate Levi Sanders, son of Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Sullivan outraised Pappas by nearly one million dollars, but she was criticized because “almost all” of her individual contributions came from outside the state, according to Ballotpedia.
Both Sullivan and Pappas emphasized health care policy and said that they would fight against any Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Pappas advocates for a Medicare buy-in option rather than Medicare-for-all, according to Ballotpedia.
Pappas was endorsed by both of New Hampshire’s senators, Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. If he wins, he will be the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in Congress.
Pappas will battle to take over from Democrat Carol Shea-Porter, who decided not to run for reelection as representative of New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
Analysts predict voters will lean Democratic in the November general election, according to Ballotpedia. However, the district went for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election and has elected both Democratic and Republican congressional candidates in the last four elections, reported Roll Call.
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