Democrat Chris Pappas Wins New Hampshire Senate Race Over Republican John Sununu

Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas won New Hampshire's open U.S. Senate seat, defeating former Republican Sen. John Sununu, according to projections from CBS News, the Associated Press and the Fox News Decision Desk. Pappas, 46, a four-term congressman, will succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and become the first openly gay man to serve in the U.S. Senate. Early returns showed him ahead by roughly 61% to 38%, with about 19% to 20% of votes counted. Sununu, who represented the state in the Senate until he lost his seat in 2008, had been seeking a return after 18 years away. He had President Donald Trump's endorsement but kept his distance from the president. The race was seen as a must-hold for Democrats as they try to win back the Senate majority in the midterm elections, and it had been closely fought and expensive.

Left-leaning outlets, The Guardian US and CBS News, lead with the result. The Guardian highlights the historic first and describes Pappas as a centrist who sometimes breaks with his party. It also notes that he ran as a bulwark against an unpopular Trump administration, citing the Iran war and Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It recalls Sununu once calling Trump a "loser" and presents Sununu as a faux moderate. CBS gives a brief projection with its anchors. Fox News, on the right, frames the result as a major Democratic victory over a "Trump-backed Republican." It quotes Sununu saying Pappas has accomplished little in Washington and would be a rubber stamp for the far left. It also includes Pappas's reply that he works across the aisle and an interview in which he sidestepped a Trump impeachment question. Fox does not mention the historic first in the portion provided. Both sides agree on the margin, the seat succession and the national stakes. Axios, an alternative outlet, largely matches them, adding that the win could improve Democrats' Senate chances.