# New Hampshire Senate race 2026

Open Democratic seat. Former Sen. John E. Sununu (R) faces Rep. Chris Pappas (D).

- Office: U.S. Senate
- Rating: Lean Democrat (Cook Political Report, Oct 20, 2026)
- Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/nh-senate/
- Back to [Election Headquarters](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/)

## Who is running

- John Sununu (Republican): open seat
- Chris Pappas (Democrat): open seat

## The facts

- Cook moved New Hampshire from Toss Up to Leans Democratic. (Mediaite)
- Sununu lost to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in 2008. Shaheen is retiring. (Wikipedia)
- Wikipedia says some polls showed a dead heat and two August polls had Sununu ahead.

## Why this race matters to conservatives (opinion)

Sununu is a familiar name in New Hampshire. The race is a real pickup chance.

This section is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of the page is reporting.

## Where these facts come from

- [Cook Political Report](https://www.270towin.com/2026-senate-election/cook-political-report-2026-senate): current rating, as of Oct 20, 2026
- [Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elections): candidate and race facts