 | |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
The2026 United States Senate election in New Hampshire will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of theUnited States Senate to represent the state ofNew Hampshire.Primary elections will be held on September 8, 2026. Incumbent three-termDemocratic SenatorJeanne Shaheen declined to seek re-election to a fourth term.[1]
This will be the first open Senate election in New Hampshire since2010, and the first for this seat since1990.[a]
New Hampshire is considered to be aslightly to moderately blue state at the federal level, withKamala Harris carrying the state by roughly 3 percentage points in the2024 presidential election. The state's congressional delegation has been entirely Democratic since 2017. However, Republicans control thegovernorship, both state legislative chambers, and a majority in theexecutive council.[2][3]
Shaheen was first elected in2008, defeating then-incumbent senatorJohn Sununu in a rematch of2002, and was re-elected in2014 and2020.[4] Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire since2010.
| Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Chris Pappas (D) | $4,284,014 | $2,078,837 | $2,612,761 |
| Source:Federal Election Commission[24] | |||
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Karishma Manzur | Chris Pappas | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire[25] | September 17–23, 2025 | 508 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 14% | 65% | 1% | 20% |
| Campaign finance reports as of September 30, 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Scott Brown (R) | $968,538 | $165,775 | $802,763 |
| Source:Federal Election Commission[24] | |||
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Scott Brown | Dan Innis | John Sununu | Other/Undecided [c] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RealClearPolitics[42] | September 10–23, 2025 | November 13, 2025 | 21.0% | 7.5% | 41.0% | 30.5% | Sununu +21.0% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Scott Brown | Dan Innis | John Sununu | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25, 2025 | Innis withdraws from the race | |||||||
| University of New Hampshire[25] | September 17–23, 2025 | 555 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 19% | 7% | 42% | 4%[d] | 28% |
| co/efficient (R)[43] | September 10–12, 2025 | 346 (LV) | – | 23% | 8% | 40% | 5%[e] | 24% |
| Saint Anselm College[44] | August 26–27, 2025 | 791 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 48% | 13% | – | – | 39% |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections[46] | Tilt D | October 23, 2025 |
| The Cook Political Report[47] | Lean D | October 14, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[48] | Lean D | August 12, 2025 |
| Race To The WH[49] | Tilt D | September 15, 2025 |
Chris Pappas vs. Scott Brown
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Chris Pappas | Scott Brown | Other/Undecided [f] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RealClearPolitics[50] | August 26-October 13, 2025 | November 13, 2025 | 49.7% | 37.7% | 12.6% | Pappas +12.0% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Chris Pappas (D) | Scott Brown (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| co/efficient (R)[51] | October 9–13, 2025 | 1,034 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 49% | 39% | – | 13% |
| University of New Hampshire[25] | September 17–23, 2025 | 1,235 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 52% | 37% | 2%[g] | 8% |
| co/efficient (R)[43] | September 10–12, 2025 | 904 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 50% | 40% | – | 10% |
| Saint Anselm College[52] | August 26–27, 2025 | 1,776 (RV) | ± 2.3% | 48% | 37% | – | 15% |
Chris Pappas vs. John E. Sununu
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Chris Pappas | John Sununu | Other/Undecided [h] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RealClearPolitics[53] | September 17-October 13, 2025 | November 13, 2025 | 47.0% | 42.5% | 10.5% | Pappas +4.5% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Chris Pappas (D) | John E. Sununu (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| co/efficient (R)[51] | October 9–13, 2025 | 1,034 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 45% | 42% | – | 12% |
| University of New Hampshire[25] | September 17–23, 2025 | 1,235 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 49% | 43% | 1%[i] | 7% |
| co/efficient (R)[43] | September 10–12, 2025 | 904 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 46% | 43% | – | 11% |
| 1892 Polling (R)[54][A] | September 2–4, 2025 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 45% | 43% | – | 12% |
Chris Pappas vs. Dan Innis
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Chris Pappas | Scott Brown | Other/Undecided [j] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RealClearPolitics[55] | August 26-September 12, 2025 | November 13, 2025 | 48.5% | 33.5% | 18.0% | Pappas +15.0% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Chris Pappas (D) | Dan Innis (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| co/efficient (R)[43] | September 10–12, 2025 | 904 (LV) | ± 3.3% | 49% | 37% | 14% |
| Saint Anselm College[52] | August 26–27, 2025 | 1,776 (RV) | ± 2.3% | 48% | 30% | 22% |
Chris Pappas vs. Chris Sununu
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Chris Pappas (D) | Chris Sununu (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quantus Insights (R)[56][B] | March 17–19, 2025 | 650 (RV) | ± 3.8% | 44% | 53% | 3% |
Jeanne Shaheen vs. Chris Sununu
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Jeanne Shaheen (D) | Chris Sununu (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praecones Analytica[57][C] | February 26 – March 1, 2025 | 626 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 46% | 54% | – |
Jeanne Shaheen vs. Frank Edelblut
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Jeanne Shaheen (D) | Frank Edelblut (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praecones Analytica[57][C] | February 26 – March 1, 2025 | 626 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 59% | 41% | – |
Jeanne Shaheen vs. Scott Brown
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Jeanne Shaheen (D) | Scott Brown (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Praecones Analytica[57][C] | February 26 – March 1, 2025 | 626 (RV) | ± 4.5% | 55% | 45% | – |
Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Generic Democrat | Generic Republican | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| co/efficient (R)[51] | October 9–13, 2025 | 1,034 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 47% | 44% | 9% |
Partisan clients
Former Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), who retired from Congress this year, told Axios she 'will take a serious look if Pappas does not run.'
[Adam Sexton]: Are you interested in running for U.S. Senate at all in 2026? [Andru Volinsky]: My focus is the book.
Attorney Philip Taub (R) is considering a run to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D). Taub told Hotline in a statement that he sees the Senate as 'another opportunity to serve' the Granite State
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, though, unequivocally said she wasn't interested in returning to the Senate this cycle.
2024 nominee Lily Tang Williams told NHJournal she is 'open minded' to the possibilities of running for either the House or Senate.
