Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas beat Republican John Sununu in the race for New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seat.

Sununu has previous experience in the Senate, having won a seat in 2002, defeating then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat. Shaheen defeated Sununu in their 2008 rematch.

During this year’s primary, Sununu beat another former senator, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who in 2010 won a special election to finish out the term of the late Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy.

President Donald Trump backed Sununu during his primary despite Sununu’s endorsement of Trump rival Nikki Haley in the 2024 election.

Pappas was his party’s clear frontrunner during the primary, gathering the support of high-profile Democrats including Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), former Gov. John Lynch, and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The lawmaker has served in the House since 2019 and has held public office consistently since graduating from college in 2002.

In 2022, Pappas defeated Republican Karoline Leavitt, then-Trump White House press aide who later became White House press secretary, in New Hampshire’s First Congressional District.

The Live Free or Die state is known for its independent voting bloc. New Hampshire has nearly 900,000 registered voters, and the largest segment identifies itself as “undeclared.” Nearly 300,000 voters identify as Republican, 256,000 as Democrats, and 307,000 as undeclared.

As of Oct. 30, polling showed Pappas in the lead with about 50 percent to Sununu’s 43 percent.

Several polls for the few weeks before the election showed similar results with Pappas in the lead by 6 percentage points or less.

During the last midterm election, fewer than 150,000 Republicans and around 96,000 Democrats cast ballots. In the 2024 state primaries, fewer Republicans (135,000) and more Democrats (118,000) voted.

Self-proclaimed independent progressive voter Timothy Willis held signs outside a Concord polling place ahead of the primary election and told The Epoch Times that he no longer supports Pappas.

The progressive voted for the now-defeated Democrat Karishma Manzur for Senate, and said he has voted for Pappas in the past.

Willis said his decision was based on information about Pappas’ political action committee support and disconnection from voters.

Democratic New Hampshire House candidate Tracy Bricchi said she is voting for Pappas but is unsure he has what it takes to beat Sununu at the polls.

Bricchi said Pappas “has the best interests of New Hampshire people in mind,” and that his political history shows a person who has “done his best given the climate that he’s worked in.”

Merrimack County Attorney candidate Meg Hagaman, a Republican, was confident in her support of Sununu due to his “sensible leadership skills.”

“We know he’s already had experience in the Senate,” Hagaman told The Epoch Times. “He’s had a lot of experience governing, and I think he is someone who wants to put New Hampshire’s people first. And I think he will go to Washington with a lot of sensible thoughts.”