Republican John Sununu and Democrat Chris Pappas win New Hampshire Senate primaries, setting up battleground race

The battleground New Hampshire Senate race is set between Republican former Sen. John Sununu and Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, NBC News projects, after both prevailed in their primaries Tuesday night.

Pappas defeated scientist Karishma Manzur, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, in his primary, leading 62%-36% with about one-fifth of the vote counted. But it appears he could fall short of the support from primary voters that the Pappas campaign touted in recent internal polling.

The race could be key to the fight for the Senate majority in November. Republicans are confident that Sununu, a member of a well-known political family, can put the race in play. But Democrats dismiss GOP optimism in a state that President Donald Trump has never won.

Trump endorsed Sununu in the primary against former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who also served as an ambassador during Trump’s first term. Sununu had 70% support to Brown’s 25% with about a sixth of the vote counted.

First elected to the House in 2018, Pappas has long been viewed as the frontrunner in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. And Pappas had already started to focus on the likely general election contest against…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business