CIVPAC has completed its side-by-side evaluation of Democrat Chris Pappas and Republican John E. Sununu in New Hampshire’s 2026 U.S. Senate election. We are not endorsing either candidate at this time.
Pappas presents a developed center-left record. We agree with him on important matters including support for Ukraine and America’s alliances, reproductive rights and the need for Congress to act as an independent branch of government. But we have substantial disagreements with him on organized labor, the scale of federal intervention in the economy and aspects of fiscal and social policy.
Sununu is closer to CIVPAC on a number of conventional economic issues and has a genuine history of independence from Donald Trump. But that independence has limits, and his current campaign leaves too many important questions unanswered. We would particularly like clearer positions on Ukraine and NATO, abortion, the Affordable Care Act, immigration, Social Security and President Trump’s January 6 pardons.
There is also an institutional consideration. With a Republican president, another Republican senator could affect control of the Senate—and therefore its ability to provide an independent check on executive power. We would probably be similarly concerned with a Democratic president. We have overcome that concern in other races when a candidate’s record of bipartisan governance and policy positions justified doing so. We are not prepared to do that here on the information presently available.
This may not be the final word. Pappas and Sununu are scheduled to appear together at an October 29 candidate forum, and we plan to revisit the evaluation afterward if the candidates provide meaningful new information.
Read our full New Hampshire U.S. Senate side-by-side evaluation.
See CIVPAC’s complete list of 2026 U.S. Senate endorsements and races under review.
See all of CIVPAC’s 2026 candidate endorsements and evaluations.