Chris Pappas was nothing if not efficient as he announced his Senate bid Thursday evening.
First, early in his speech, there was a flattering reference to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the battle-tested politico he's hoping to succeed next year.
“She set a high standard for public service, and inspired me at that young age,” Pappas said, noting he’d volunteered on Shaheen's first campaign for governor in 1996 as a high school student. “She provides the kind of leadership that our state deserves.”
Next, Pappas pivoted to praise his family, who arrived here from Greece more than a century ago and founded the popular Manchester restaurant, the Puritan Backroom, where he held his campaign kickoff.
“They built this business right here, which is where I learned about hard work, and being of use to others, and about treating those you work with as members of your extended family,” Pappas told the crowd of supporters in the restaurant's conference center. “And in fact, you can look out for the bottom line and still look out for people.”
That last bit is a line cribbed from former Gov. John Lynch, who ran on a business-friendly message to upset incumbent Gov. Craig Benson in 2004.
Jeanne Shaheen. John Lynch. The Puritan. It's a summary of not just Pappas’ personal and political lineage. In some ways, it’s the present day New Hampshire Democratic Party in a nutshell.
Pappas’ decision to run for Senate is an obvious next step for the four-term congressman, and something he signaled was all but inevitable from the moment Shaheen announced she would not be seeking reelection next year. But the campaign will also likely be a test of the version of the Democratic Party Pappas has built his career around, at a moment when Democrats are struggling to define themselves in the Trump era.
Pappas’ party may have hit a rough patch in Concord, including losing the last five governor races and settling for minority status — yet again — in the Legislature. But Granite State Democrats have won 11 out the last 12 races for Congress and five the last six races for Senate.
Pappas is a big part of that latter record of success. He’s been on the ballot in every state election since 2002, running for state Representative, county treasurer, executive councilor and congressman. He’s only lost once, in the GOP wave year of 2010, when he lost reelection as Hillsborough County treasurer.
His family’s deep connections in Manchester — and the Puritan’s popularity as a watering hole for politicos of all persuasions — helped Pappas’ rise. So has his ability to represent many strands of the modern Democratic Party’s constituencies: small business background, Harvard-educated, openly gay, with deep ties to the party’s establishment figures.
“I’ve learned so much from everybody in this room,” Pappas told the crowd that included former state lawmakers, local labor leaders, and party officials past and present.
Throughout his political career, Pappas has presented as socially liberal and more moderate on fiscal issues — a recipe that’s proven successful for New Hampshire Democrats for the past two decades — with a steady focus on issues affecting small businesses, veterans and seniors.
Those topics got ample mention Thursday, but Pappas’ remarks were also laced with rhetoric about "self-dealing" billionaires, a “rigged” political system, Elon Musk, and taking it to the Trump administration on issues ranging from Social Security, to education, to reducing inflation.
“That's why I’m in this fight," Pappas told the full house of supporters. "I am in this fight for people regardless of their circumstances or their politics. We need leaders who are willing to stand up and challenge the status quo.”
Right now, it’s unclear what kind of fight Pappas will face in this Senate bid. Fellow Democratic Rep. Maggie Goodlander is also considering running. A Democratic primary pitting two incumbent members of Congress would be without precedent in recent New Hampshire political history.
Among Republicans, former Gov. Chris Sununu, who rejected national GOP efforts to recruit him to run in 2022, has yet to rule out a Senate campaign next year. He would be a challenge for any Democrat to beat. Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who lost to Shaheen in 2014, is also eyeing a run.
For now, as Pappas’s campaign ramps up, some Democrats who’ve watched his entire political career say the pugilistic tone he struck Thursday night may be out of keeping with his image, but it may be necessary at this moment.
‘We need an individual with stamina,” said former Manchester state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, who’s seen Pappas at every stage of his political career. “We’ve got a lot to lose if we don’t keep this one.”
