New Hampshire holds its state primary on Tuesday, September 8, setting the Democratic and Republican nominees for a U.S. Senate seat that is open for the first time since 2008, an outright reelection bid by Gov. Kelly Ayotte, and two U.S. House races — one of them a nine-candidate scrum to succeed a sitting congressman.
The open Senate seat
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced in early 2025 that she would not seek a fourth term, opening the seat for the first time since her initial election in 2008. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 2018, was the first Democrat to enter the race and has led the fundraising and endorsement count. He faces four Democratic primary challengers, including Karishma Manzur, a first-time candidate running to Pappas’s left on issues including the war in Gaza and campaign finance.
“New Hampshire’s Senate seat is open for the first time since Jeanne Shaheen won it in 2008.”
On the Republican side, former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu — who held the seat from 2003 to 2009 before losing it to Shaheen — is seeking a return to Washington. He faces Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator and New Hampshire resident who previously lost a 2014 Senate bid to Shaheen and later served as U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa under the first Trump administration. Six additional Republican candidates are also on the primary ballot.
“Two former U.S. senators are trying to return to Washington through the same Republican primary.”
Ayotte seeks a second term
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, elected in 2024, faces two lesser-known Republican primary challengers, Shaun Fife and Bob Wayne McClory. On the Democratic side, former executive councilor and healthcare attorney Cinde Warmington is unopposed in the primary. Warmington ran for governor in 2024 but lost that year’s Democratic primary to former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, who went on to lose the general election to Ayotte by about 9 points. Four independent candidates — Jon Kiper, Everett Howard, Stephen Villee and John Horsley — are also seeking ballot access for the general election but do not appear on a primary ballot.
A wide-open 1st District
Pappas’s decision to run for Senate left New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District — covering Manchester, Laconia and the Seacoast region — without an incumbent for the first time in years. Nine Democrats filed for the seat, with recent public polling showing former Portsmouth City Councilor Stefany Shaheen (daughter of the retiring senator) and state Rep. Heath Howard among the leading contenders, followed by Marine Corps veteran and former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan. Six Republicans are also competing for the nomination, including self-funding Portsmouth businessman Anthony DiLorenzo and state Rep. Brian Cole.
**Heath Howard suspended his 1st District campaign on Aug. 24 and endorsed Carleigh Beriont, although Howard will still appear on the ballot.
“Pappas’s Senate run has turned the 1st District into one of New Hampshire’s most crowded federal primaries.”
A potential 2nd District rematch
“The 2nd District could produce a repeat of the Goodlander-Williams matchup from 2024.”
In the 2nd District, freshman Democratic Rep. Maggie Goodlander faces a primary challenge from state Rep. Paige Beauchemin. On the Republican side, Lily Tang Williams is making her third bid for the seat — she finished third in a 2022 primary before winning the 2024 Republican nomination and losing to Goodlander in the general election, 52.9% to 47.0%. Williams faces three primary opponents this cycle.
Ahead
“Tuesday’s winners advance to a November 3 general election that will determine every federal seat in New Hampshire.”
New Hampshire also elects all five members of its Executive Council and all 424 seats of its state Legislature on Tuesday, though the large majority of legislative primaries are uncontested. Winners advance to the November 3 general election. Election Desk will follow the Senate and 1st District races through the fall as part of ongoing 2026 midterm coverage.
Sourcing and methodology
This article draws primarily on candidate filing data compiled by the New Hampshire Bulletin following the close of the state’s candidate filing period on June 12, 2026, cross-checked against Ballotpedia’s race pages and BallotReady’s primary ballot listings. Polling references for the 1st District (UNH Granite State Poll, January 2026) and Gov. Ayotte’s approval rating (UNH Granite State Poll, April 2026) are attributed to the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The 2024 2nd District general-election margin (52.9%–47.0%) is drawn from NBC News election results data; the 2022 primary detail is from Wikipedia’s Lily Tang Williams biography page, cross-checked against Concord Monitor reporting from that cycle. Some minor-party and write-in candidates who filed after the Bulletin’s June 19 report, or through local town filing offices on the final day of the filing period, may not be reflected here; readers should confirm their local ballot through the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s sample ballot tool. Candidate lists for the Executive Council and state Legislature are summarized rather than itemized in full given the volume of contests.
Election Desk 
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