BREAKING: Trump & GOP say they'll focus their efforts on defeating the man who'd be the first openly gay U.S.

[riversedge]

I missed this --so much news.





@CalltoActivism
Chris Pappas is the candidate who won against Karoline Leavitt and demolished her in the election.

Now MAGA is really mad. Sorry, but he’s going to win a Senate seat too.

BREAKING: Trump and Republicans say they’ll focus their efforts on defeating the man who’d be the first openly gay U.S. Senator, Chris Pappas, who is running in New Hampshire.

Chris doesn’t serve billionaires and has stood up to bullies. It’s obvious why they want him to lose.

Link to tweet

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas announces he’s running for U.S. Senate

https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/04/03/u-s-rep-chris-pappas-announces-hes-running-for-u-s-senate/
By: William Skipworth - April 3, 2025 10:43 am

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas with supporters in Manchester on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Will Steinfeld/New Hampshire Bulletin)

Chris Pappas, a Democrat who has represented New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since winning election in 2018, announced Thursday that he’s running for U.S. Senate in 2026.

The congressman is the first to enter the race, and his announcement comes after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced in March she was vacating the seat, which she’s held for nearly two decades. His campaign is beginning early in the cycle with Election Day still about 19 months away.

Pappas’ entrance to the race was widely anticipated by spectators, many of whom see him as a favorite to earn the Democratic nomination and possibly win a general election.

Pappas could face a competitive race in both the primary and general elections. New Hampshire’s other Democratic U.S. representative, Maggie Goodlander, who represents the state’s 2nd Congressional District, is also considering a run, her team previously told the Bulletin. On the Republican side, observers are waiting to see whether former Gov. Chris Sununu, who left office with high approval ratings but has been noncommittal about a Senate bid, will enter the race.

In a video announcing the campaign, Pappas touted his work in Congress over the past few years, attacked Republicans for attempting to give tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk, and emphasized his work at his family’s business. Notably absent in the video was any mention of President Donald Trump.

“What I hear from people?” he said. “They want someone who shows up, someone who listens, and someone who isn’t afraid to take on the big fights and more importantly today, who knows how to win them.”

A centrist, Pappas was ranked the most bipartisan Democrat in Congress in 2023 by the Lugar Center. Some of his most significant votes have come when he’s crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans. Early this year, he voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act, an immigration and law enforcement bill pushed by Republicans in the wake of the death of a Georgia teenager at the hands of an immigrant. That bill was widely criticized by progressives and immigration advocates who argued it disregards due process and gives too much power to state attorneys general, among other issues; they also point out that crimes by immigrants living in the country illegally are rare and that Riley’s tragic death was an outlier. Another example of Pappas crossing the aisle came in 2020 when he was one of six Democrats opposing the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act — which unsuccessfully attempted to legalize marijuana federally — over concerns about a provision to expunge federal convictions..............