Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire race: First Greek American in the Senate in 14 years and first gay man elected senator

Democrat Chris Pappas has won a seat in the U.S. Senate after receiving 56.3% of the vote in New Hampshire, defeating Republican John Sununu.

The result gives the Greek American community representation in the Senate for the first time in 14 years. Pappas also becomes the first gay man elected to the Senate in United States history.

At 46, after four terms in the House of Representatives, he will take the seat held by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen. She decided not to seek reelection after serving 18 years in the Senate.

Previous senators of Greek descent include Republican Olympia Snowe, who served from 1995 to 2013, and Democrat Paul Sarbanes, who spent 30 years in the Senate, from 1977 to 2007.

Pappas’s Greek immigrant family has roots in the village of Livadi, in the Elassona area of Greece. He was born on June 4, 1980, in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he lives with his husband, Van Bentley.

In Manchester, his family owns the historic Puritan Backroom restaurant, a family business with a history spanning more than a century. Pappas began working there when he was young, before entering politics.

He has often spoken of his pride in his Greek heritage and of the historical and cultural ties between Greece and the United States. He has also been an active participant in events held by the Greek American community and the Greek Orthodox Church in the U.S.

In Congress, Pappas has also worked on issues affecting Greece and Cyprus. Alongside Republican Gus Bilirakis, he has co-chaired the Hellenic Caucus in the House of Representatives.

Among the initiatives he has supported is stronger military cooperation between the U.S. and Greece. This includes a bill to extend American assistance to Greece through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program for five years.

In September 2025, he joined a bipartisan initiative opposing the potential sale of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. In March 2026, Pappas condemned the deployment of Turkish F-16 aircraft to the occupied part of Cyprus.

His political career began early: at 22, he was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He later served in several other local and state government bodies.

He won his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, representing New Hampshire’s first district. He was reelected three times, in 2020, 2022 and 2024.

He announced his decision to run for the Senate in April 2025, after Jeanne Shaheen said she would not seek another term.

When he announced his candidacy, Pappas said he was entering the race because, in his view, the economy, democracy and way of life were at risk. He said New Hampshire needed a senator with close ties to the state’s people, places and values.

His campaign also involved clashes within the Democratic Party. Pappas belongs to its more moderate wing, while his primary opponent, Karisma Manzur, ran on a more progressive platform.

In the September 8 primary, Pappas received 64.6% of the vote, compared with Manzur’s 33.2%.

During the campaign, the financial support he had received from pro-Israel organizations drew criticism from figures on the Democratic left, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Federal Election Commission data cited by the New Hampshire Journal showed that Pappas had received about $689,000 in direct and earmarked contributions from AIPAC and organizations affiliated with it.

His Republican opponent, John Sununu, had previously served as a senator from 2003 to 2009. He came from a family with a long political history in New Hampshire and was backed by President Donald Trump.

Trump personally took part in the campaign in support of Sununu, viewing New Hampshire as an opportunity for Republicans to regain a Senate seat.

Pappas, meanwhile, focused on the cost of living, preserving health care, public education and Social Security. He also opposed the Trump administration’s policies on trade tariffs and military interventions abroad.

The economy, foreign policy, taxes and pensions were among the topics in the final televised debate on October 28. Pappas accused Sununu of supporting Trump’s policies; the Republican, meanwhile, questioned what the Democrat had accomplished during his eight years in Congress.

After the results were released, Pappas addressed supporters and described the victory as a significant moment for the future of New Hampshire and the country.

He said the effort that began in the room where they stood and reached every corner of New Hampshire would now continue in Washington, with the aim of getting the state and the country back on track.

Pappas again criticized powerful economic interests and the Trump administration’s policies, promising to work in the Senate to change the country’s political direction.

Beyond its importance for his career, the result is a historic development for the Greek American community: after 14 years, it will once again have a representative in the United States Senate.