New Hampshire Senate race 2026: Sununu vs. Pappas

RThe Ledger's profile

John E. Sununu

Former U.S. senator and three-term congressman from New Hampshire; Republican nominee for the open Senate seat against Democrat Chris Pappas on November 3.

Read the documented profile of John E. Sununu

Also on the ballot

Chris Pappas

American politician; U.S. representative for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district since 2019; 2026 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from New Hampshire

The general-election field as the board records it: John E. Sununu (R) vs. Chris Pappas (D)

The race at a glance

Board data as of Sep 15, 2026. Ratings are the raters' own current calls; polls are the newest public ones with their field dates; money is what the committees reported. Nothing here is a forecast.

Seat

Open — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) retiring

Ratings

Cook Lean Democrat; Sabato Leans Democrat; Inside Elections Toss-up (as read Sep 15, 2026)

Newest public polling

Newest public poll: Sununu +0.0 (co/efficient, Sep 11, 2026); 14 general-election polls tracked

Reported money

FEC: Sununu cash on hand $3,070,033 (as read Sep 15, 2026)

Notable

Measured on the Ledger's Senate battleground board, Sep 15, 2026.

Key dates in New Hampshire

Read from the New Hampshire Secretary of State. The full guide, with the official tools, is on the New Hampshire page.

• Absentee ballot request deadlineThe Secretary of State's absentee page does not print a last day to apply. State law (RSA 657:15, last amended effective September 8, 2026) says the clerk mails absentee ballots for verified requests received by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the day before the election, which is November 2, 2026, and provides an absentee ballot to any voter who asks in person at the clerk's office up until 5:00 p.m. on that day. A ballot requested that late must still reach the clerk by the return deadline. gc.nh.gov
• Absentee ballot return deadline (received by the clerk)By mail: your completed absentee ballot must reach your local clerk by 5:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026; state law (RSA 657:17) says ballots delivered through the mail must be received by the clerk by that time, so this is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline. In person: the voter must return it to the clerk by 5:00 p.m. the day before the election, November 2, 2026. State law also allows a voter's delivery agent (a close family member listed in the law, a nursing home or residential care facility administrator or designee, or a person assisting a blind voter or a voter with a disability) to deliver the ballot until 5:00 p.m. on Election Day; the agent completes a form and shows government-issued photo identification or has his or her identity verified by the clerk. sos.nh.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — state general election. State law (RSA 653:7) sets the state general election on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of every even-numbered year. gc.nh.gov
• Poll hoursHours differ by town and city ward on Election Day, November 3, 2026. State law (RSA 659:4) says that at all state elections the polls open not later than 11 o'clock in the morning and close not earlier than 7 o'clock in the evening; in cities, the city council sets the polling hours. Ask your town or city clerk for the opening and closing times of your polling place. A person who is waiting to register at the polling place at the scheduled closing time is still allowed to vote if found qualified (RSA 654:7-a). gc.nh.gov

Voting in New Hampshire: dates, rules and official tools

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