Chris Pappas (D), John Sununu (R), and Edmond Laplante (Constitution Party) are running in the general election for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire on Nov. 3. Incumbent Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D), who first assumed office in 2009, did not seek re-election.
This U.S. Senate race is among several that will help determine which party controls the chamber. Heading into the election, Republicans hold a 53-45 majority. Democratic presidential candidates have won New Hampshire in each election from 2004 to 2024. Since 2020, New Hampshire has been a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both legislative chambers. New Hampshire's most recent Republican senator was Kelly Ayotte (R), the governor at the time of the 2026 election, who served in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2017.
The Washington Post's Ben Binday writes, "In many years, Sununu’s advantages might be enough to win in a state known for political independence and electing politicians from both parties. Yet interviews with dozens of voters ... found an electorate where Trump is so unpopular ... that voters appeared more inclined to cast their ballots based on the Senate candidates’ party affiliations in an election they view as a referendum on Trump’s presidency." According to reporting from AP, "Steve Marchand, a Democratic consultant and former New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate, said Sununu has benefited from national money that got redirected from other states that are no longer seen as top targets, while Democrats were slower to invest."
