Before the September 8th Senate primary in New Hampshire, the polling on the Democrat side routinely showed Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) well ahead of newcomer and self-described "peace activist" Karishma Manzur, who socialists in the state rallied behind.
A few days before the primary was held, both Pappas and Manzur participated in their final debate, and she got a pretty good zinger on him during the course of it that went to the heart of him being a do-nothing member of Congress, as we previously reported.
Manzur pointed out during an exchange on housing costs that Pappas talked a good game, but when it came right down to it, he merely attached his name to recent legislation crafted by others and acted like he'd been leading on it when he hadn't:
On housing costs, Pappas talked about his support for recent bipartisan legislation that passed the House and Senate.
"That bill was a good start, and you had people across the political spectrum working together on a good work product," he said. "Now, Donald Trump couldn't bring himself to sign it into law because he wanted to try to rig the next election instead."
Manzur questioned why Pappas didn't do more.
"Thank you for supporting it, but why didn't it happen years earlier?" she said. "This isn't a new crisis. The housing crisis has been getting worse year after year, so I wish the congressman would have actually addressed it years ago instead of waiting for another person to author it, and then he just signs on."
"But thank you for signing on to it," she added.
Watch:
Far-Left Democrat Karishma Manzur calls out Chris Pappas for being a do-nothing member of Congress.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 5, 2026
"I wish the congressman would have actually addressed it years ago instead of waiting for another person to author it." pic.twitter.com/oTNXS12qeo
Attacks like that have a way of staying with a candidate if they've got an opponent who's smart enough to keep using them to their advantage, and that is exactly what GOP nominee and former Senator John E. Sununu has done so far against the four-term House incumbent as polls show a competitive Senate race in a state some political observers have called more "light blue" than deep blue:
But also boosting Sununu, his strategy to blast Pappas as a do-nothing member of Congress during another anti-incumbent election cycle, which is a turn of the tables on the Democrats' playbook.
"He's been on the Transportation Committee for eight years, and New Hampshire is dead last in highway funding in New England. That hurts New Hampshire. His ineffectiveness is doing damage to the state because we're not getting the support we need from Washington," Sununu claimed.
"We need someone who can go to Washington as an effective voice, an independent voice for New Hampshire, but who can deliver results," Sununu also stressed.
Watch:
TOSS UP: The New Hampshire Senate race just shifted toward the GOP after former Sen. John E. Sununu flipped the Democrats' own anti-incumbent playbook against Rep. Chris Pappas — blasting the four-term congressman as ineffective and calling him dead weight for the state.
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) September 17, 2026
The… pic.twitter.com/ZSy71BYnas
Pappas also has a bad habit of voting "present" on certain bills rather than take a stand on them one way or the other, something that lends credence to the "do-nothing congressman" argument:
Faced with another sticky political issue dividing his party, Rep. Chris Pappas voted “present” Tuesday, just as he did on aid to Israel earlier this year. It’s a sign, his critics say, that Pappas isn’t tough enough to make the hard calls required as New Hampshire’s next U.S. senator.
Tuesday’s vote was on a motion to table Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green’s latest attempt to impeach President Donald Trump.
[...]
John Sununu and his campaign have frequently called out Pappas for voting “present” on important issues, such as an attempt to block billions in military aid to Israel. In July, Pappas voted “present” on the so-called Massie amendment, while Goodlander voted to block the aid.
“Pappas is proving he’s the typical Washington politician, incapable of standing up for anything, much less for New Hampshire,” Sununu said at the time. “Voting ‘present’ is the ultimate Washington waffle. The attempt to have it both ways epitomizes his weakness …”
.@SununuSenator: "Chris Pappas has attempted very little in Congress, he's accomplished even less."
— Republicans (@Republicans) September 14, 2026
John Sununu will actually DELIVER for New Hampshire in the Senate. pic.twitter.com/ubv9HKpePq
With polls showing both of them running neck and neck and Cook Political recently changing their rating on the race from "Lean D" to "Toss Up," Pappas and other Democrats have been begging the national party apparatus to take notice and do more amid a backdrop of "Republican-aligned outside groups... pouring millions into the state" and "MAGA super PACs ... outspending his campaign 3 to 1 on TV," according to Fox News Digital.
This, too, is likely another reason why Pappas has sent the distress signal:
The @ChrisPappasNH campaign has cut its TV spend --> pic.twitter.com/htNcIqtXyr
— NH Journal (@NewHampJournal) September 17, 2026
Sununu is acting like a man who knows he can go the distance in this race and come out on top if he keeps the pedal to the metal. This is refreshing to see in a climate where a couple of other critical Senate battles - in North Carolina and Georgia - are proving to be increasingly tough ground for Republicans to to till.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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