New Hampshire primaries set up Pappas-Sununu Senate showdown

New Hampshire voters chose party nominees for the Senate, House and governor's races on Tuesday. The results set up high-stakes November contests, including the open Senate seat and a 2nd District rematch.Stock photo used for illustrationVoters in New Hampshire picked Republican and Democratic nominees in a series of key primary contests on Tuesday, setting up races for the US House, Senate and governor in November.In the main results, Lily Tang Williams won the Republican primary in the state's 2nd Congressional District, US Representative Maggie Goodlander won the Democratic primary there, Anthony DiLorenzo took the Republican primary for the open 1st Congressional District seat, Governor Kelly Ayotte won her Republican primary for a second term bid, US Representative Chris Pappas secured the Democratic nomination for the US Senate, and former US Senator John E Sununu won the Republican Senate primary.Tang Williams won the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District for the second time. She previously led the Libertarian Party in Colorado and unsuccessfully ran for office there before moving to New Hampshire in 2019. She had finished third in the district's GOP primary in 2022 and was the nominee two years ago, when she lost to Democrat Maggie Goodlander. In her campaigns, Tang Williams has highlighted her impoverished childhood in China, her move to the US as a student and becoming a citizen 30 years ago. She defeated three other candidates on Tuesday.Goodlander won the Democratic primary in the 2nd District as she seeks a second term, defeating Paige Beauchemin, a registered nurse and progressive state lawmaker. Goodlander, a former White House aide and US Naval Reserve intelligence officer, had joined fellow Democrats with military backgrounds in an online video last November after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to patrol American cities, advising members of the US military that they should refuse to carry out "illegal orders". Though she is in her first term, the seat has been held by a Democrat for the last seven election cycles. In the open 1st Congressional District race, DiLorenzo, a Trump-backed businessman, won the Republican primary in his first run for office. The founder of a chain of car dealerships stressed his business background during the campaign, saying it made him the most qualified candidate despite his lack of political experience. President Donald Trump endorsed him in July, calling him a successful entrepreneur who will champion an economic "Golden Age". DiLorenzo defeated three other candidates for the chance to succeed US Representative Chris Pappas, a four-term Democrat who is leaving the seat to run for the Senate.Ayotte won the Republican primary for governor as she seeks a second term. She will face Democrat Cinde Warmington in November after Warmington, who serves on the governor's Executive Council approving state contracts and judicial nominations, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Ayotte became the third woman elected governor of New Hampshire in 2024, after Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. Like them, she also served in the US Senate, losing her seat to Hassan in 2016 after one term. She succeeded fellow Republican Chris Sununu, who did not seek a fifth two-year term. In the Senate race, Pappas won the Democratic nomination to succeed US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a three-term Democrat who is not seeking re-election. Pappas, who currently represents the 1st Congressional District, entered the race as the frontrunner, raised far more money than the other four candidates and had the backing of former vice president Kamala Harris. But as the election neared, he faced stronger competition from Karishma Manzur, a research scientist and democratic socialist who argued that he was too beholden to special interests. Pappas previously served on the governor's Executive Council, a five-member panel that approves state contracts and judicial nominees.On the Republican side of the Senate contest, former US Senator John E Sununu won the primary for the open seat he lost 18 years ago. He defeated another former senator, Scott Brown, and six other candidates to advance to the general election. Sununu is trying to replace Shaheen, the Democrat who defeated him in 2008 and is now retiring after three terms. Sununu, who also served three terms in the House, was endorsed by President Trump despite having called him "a loser" during the 2024 presidential campaign. He also had the backing of the GOP establishment in a state Republicans see as a key chance to flip a seat as they try to retain control of the Senate. Brown, who previously represented Massachusetts and unsuccessfully challenged Shaheen in 2014, accused Sununu of coasting on his name, noting that Sununu's father and younger brother are former governors.The results have now set the stage for November in New Hampshire, with Tang Williams and Goodlander heading for another contest in the 2nd District, DiLorenzo carrying the Republican challenge in the open 1st District seat, Ayotte facing Warmington in the governor's race, and Pappas and Sununu moving on to the Senate election.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 9, 2026 06:24 IST