Pappas, Manzur Clash in Tightening Senate Primary

New Hampshire’s Democratic Senate primary has tightened unexpectedly as four-term Rep. Chris Pappas faces progressive political newcomer Karishma Manzur ahead of the state’s primary election. A University of New Hampshire poll showed Pappas leading Manzur by 13 percentage points, a substantially narrower margin than earlier surveys, while the candidates clashed in a debate over corporate influence, foreign policy and their ability to defeat Republican opposition. Pappas has emphasized his congressional record and electability against the Republican nominee, while Manzur has called for reducing corporate influence, expanding economic protections and ending the war in Iran. The broader Senate race is also considered highly competitive: an NRSC-backed poll found Republican John E. Sununu narrowly ahead of Pappas, 37% to 36%, within the margin of error. The Republican primary pits Sununu against former Sen. Scott Brown, and election analysts have shifted the general-election rating from leaning Democratic to a toss-up.