Chris Pappas | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's1st district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Carol Shea-Porter |
| Member of the New Hampshire Executive Council from the 4th district | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Raymond Wieczorek |
| Succeeded by | Ted Gatsas |
| Treasurer ofHillsborough County | |
| In office January 4, 2007 – January 6, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | David Fredette |
| Succeeded by | Bob Burns |
| Member of theNew Hampshire House of Representatives fromHillsborough County | |
| In office December 4, 2002 – December 6, 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member constituency |
| Succeeded by | Multi-member constituency |
| Constituency | Hillsborough 49 (2002–2004) Hillsborough 8 (2004–2006) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Christopher Charles Pappas (1980-06-04)June 4, 1980 (age 45) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Christopher Charles Pappas (/ˈpæpəs/PAPP-əss; born June 4, 1980) is an American politician who has served as theU.S. representative fromNew Hampshire's 1st congressional district since 2019.[1] A member of theDemocratic Party, Pappas previously served on theNew Hampshire Executive Council from 2013 to 2019.
Pappas is the first openly gay man to representNew Hampshire in Congress.[2] His district covers much of the southern and eastern parts of New Hampshire and includes the state's largest city,Manchester, as well as theSeacoast and theLakes Region.
On April 3, 2025, Pappas announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat to whichJeanne Shaheen had declined to run for reelection in2026.[3]
Pappas was born inManchester, New Hampshire, the son of Dawn and Arthur Pappas.[4] His paternal great-grandfather, also named Arthur Pappas, arrived in New Hampshire as a new American citizen in the early 20th century, having recently emigrated fromGreece. In 1917, Arthur Pappas and his cousin Louis Canota founded an ice cream shop in Manchester. By 1919, they had expanded the business into a restaurant, now known as thePuritan Backroom, and in 1949, they added a function room. In 1974, Charlie Pappas, grandfather of Chris Pappas and co-owner of the Puritan at the time, invented thechicken tender. The business remains family-owned, and as of 2020, Chris Pappas was one of the owners.[5]
Pappas graduated fromManchester Central High School in 1998. He then attendedHarvard College, earning his Bachelor of Arts in government in 2002.[6] While at Harvard he wrote forThe Harvard Crimson.[7]
In 1996, as a high school student, Pappas metJeanne Shaheen, then a state senator and the Democratic nomineefor governor. He signed on as a volunteer for Shaheen's campaign, marking his first foray into politics.[4]
Pappas returned to Manchester after graduating college and was elected to theNew Hampshire House of Representatives in 2002.[4] He served two terms before being elected treasurer ofHillsborough County. He was defeated by Bob Burns for a third term as county treasurer in 2010.[8]
In 2012, Pappas was elected to theNew Hampshire Executive Council from the 4th district, defeating Burns.[9] He was reelected in 2014 and 2016.[10][11]
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For years, Pappas was floated as a potential candidate for theU.S. House of Representatives, theUnited States Senate, andgovernor of New Hampshire.[12][13][14] After U.S. representativeCarol Shea-Porter announced that she would not seek reelection in2018, Pappas announced his candidacy for her seat inNew Hampshire's 1st congressional district.[15] Pappas defeated ten other candidates for the Democratic nomination, including formerassistant to the secretary of defense for public affairsMaura Sullivan andBernie Sanders's son Levi Sanders, with 42.2% of the vote.[16]
Pappas defeated Republican Eddie Edwards, a former police chief and member of the New Hampshire State Division of Liquor Enforcement, in the general election, with 53.6% of the vote.[17][18] He won every county exceptBelknap County.
Pappas ran for reelection to a second term and was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[19] He defeated Republican Matt Mowers, a formerNew Hampshire Republican Party executive director and formerU.S. State Department staffer, in the general election, receiving 51.32% of the vote.[20][21]
Pappas was reelected in 2022. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated futureTrump administration officialKaroline Leavitt with 54% of the vote.[22][23]
Pappas ran for a fourth term in 2024. He defeated Kevin Rondeau for the Democratic nomination, winning 95.2% of the vote.[24] He faced RepublicanRussell Prescott, a former state senator with whom Pappas served on the New Hampshire Executive Council, in the general election.[25] He was reelected by 32,641 votes.[26]
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Pappas was ranked the mostbipartisan Democrat and 3rd in bipartisanship overall among members of the House in the year 2023 by theLugar Center.[31][32]
In 2020, Pappas voiced support for the Supreme Court's ruling inBostock v. Clayton County, which held thatLGBTQ workers are protected underTitle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[33] He also co-sponsored theEquality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, federal jury service, public accommodations, and the use of federal funds.[33][34]
Pappas was one of six House Democrats to vote against theMarijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act tolegalize cannabis at the federal level in 2020.[35] Pappas said he supports removing cannabis from theControlled Substances Act but that he had concerns with other provisions of the bill and felt that it was being rushed through.[36]
After the Supreme CourtoverturnedRoe v. Wade in June 2022, Pappas expressed support for passing a law in Congress to restore abortion rights nationally.[37][38]
In August 2022, Pappas criticized President Biden's plan to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for those making less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, calling it "no way to make policy" and saying it did little to address the root cause of increasing costs of higher education.[39][40]
In 2025, Pappas was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for theLaken Riley Act. Pappas said that he was horrified byLaken Riley's murder and wrote "Everyone should be held accountable if they commit a crime" and that the bill provides "federal law enforcement with the necessary tools" to enforce U.S. laws and ensure "swift, significant consequences."[41][42]
In March 2023, Pappas voted against H. Con. Res. 21, which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days. But he called for a critical review of the U.S. military's role in the region after 20 years of engagement and urged the Biden administration to consult with Congress, develop a clear strategy, and base decisions on ground intelligence and coordination with military leaders.[43]
In the aftermath of theOctober 7 attacks, Pappas has expressed support for both Israel's right to defend itself andPalestinian self-determination. On November 7, 2023, Pappas voted, along with 212 Republicans and 22 Democrats, in favor of H.Res 845 to censure RepresentativeRashida Tlaib.[44][45][46] The censure resolution accused Tlaib of "promoting false narratives regarding theOctober 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and for calling for the destruction of the state of Israel."[47][48] The resolution said that the phrase "from the river to the sea" is "a genocidal call to violence to destroy the state of Israel and its people to replace it with a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea".[49] Pappas has voiced support for atwo-state solution and sending humanitarian aid to Gaza and has criticized theIsraeli Defense Force's targeting of civilians in Gaza.[50][51][52]
In March 2025, after incumbent Democratic U.S. senatorJeanne Shaheen announced that she would not run for re-election in 2026, it was reported that Pappas was "definitely considering" running for the seat.[53][54] On April 3, 2025, Pappas announced his candidacy for the seat.[3]
Pappas isopenly gay. He married Vann Bentley in February 2023.[55] They live inManchester, New Hampshire. Pappas is anOrthodox Christian and is affiliated with theGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[56]
Pappas co-owns the Puritan Backroom restaurant in Manchester.[57] The Puritan Backroom is well-known in New Hampshire as a frequent stop for presidential candidates during theNew Hampshire primary.[58]
Pappas appeared onWho Wants to Be a Millionaire? on October 10, 2011, and won $17,500.[59]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Pappas | 26,875 | 42.2 | |
| Democratic | Maura Sullivan | 19,313 | 30.4 | |
| Democratic | Mindi Messmer | 6,142 | 9.7 | |
| Democratic | Naomi Andrews | 4,508 | 7.1 | |
| Democratic | Lincoln Soldati | 1,982 | 3.1 | |
| Democratic | Deaglan McEachern | 1,709 | 2.7 | |
| Democratic | Levi Sanders | 1,141 | 1.8 | |
| Democratic | Mark MacKenzie | 746 | 1.2 | |
| Democratic | Terence O'Rourke | 656 | 1.0 | |
| Democratic | Paul Cardinal | 317 | 0.5 | |
| Democratic | William Martin | 230 | 0.4 | |
| Total votes | 63,619 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Pappas | 155,884 | 53.6 | |
| Republican | Eddie Edwards | 130,996 | 45.0 | |
| Libertarian | Dan Belforti | 4,048 | 1.4 | |
| Total votes | 290,928 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Pappas | 205,606 | 51.3 | |
| Republican | Matt Mowers | 185,159 | 46.2 | |
| Libertarian | Zachary Dumont | 9,747 | 2.4 | |
| Write-in | 83 | <0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 400,595 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Pappas | 167,391 | 54.0 | |
| Republican | Karoline Leavitt | 142,229 | 45.9 | |
| Write-in | 342 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 309,962 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Pappas | 54,847 | 95.2 | |
| Democratic | Kevin Rondeau | 2,775 | 4.8 | |
| Total votes | 57,622 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chris Pappas(incumbent) | 218,577 | 54.0 | ||
| Republican | Russell Prescott | 185,936 | 45.9 | ||
| Write-in | 295 | 0.07 | |||
| Total votes | 404,808 | 100.00 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)LGBT Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-4)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Hampshire's 1st congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 221st | Succeeded by |
| People | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
