Karoline Leavitt lost this exact New Hampshire seat by 10 points in 2022, and Democrats called it proof the district belonged to them.
A reporter asked Chris Pappas a simple yes-or-no question about Zohran Mamdani, and he couldn't answer it.
Republicans just won the House seat Pappas abandoned, and they're using that same dodge to bury him in the Senate race he ran to instead.
He Wouldn't Answer a Yes-Or-No Question
WMUR asked Pappas directly if he wants to see Mamdani win in New York City.
He didn't say yes. He didn't say no. He said, "I don't know what's gonna go on in New York City."
That's the whole answer.
Scott Brown, his Republican primary rival at the time, saw the opening immediately and ran a digital ad branding him "Comrade Chris," splicing his photo next to AOC and Mamdani.
Brown put it plainly: "It's clear by his votes that he basically agrees with AOC and Bernie Sanders on all the things we talked about, and that's so far out of touch with the people of New Hampshire."
Pappas fired back that Brown was "pathetic," insisting Granite Staters know he's "a New Hampshire Democrat" who works across the aisle.
But here's the problem for Pappas. Republicans didn't need him to admit anything. They just needed him to flinch, and he did it on camera.
Republicans Just Won the Seat He Left Behind to Chase This Senate Race
Pappas held New Hampshire's 1st District since 2019. He was the guy Democrats pointed to as proof this seat was safely theirs, the same seat Karoline Leavitt almost flipped as a 25-year-old first-time candidate with no name recognition.
Then Pappas walked away from it to run for Senate, leaving Democrats to defend the district with no incumbent and no Pappas brand to hide behind.
Tuesday night, Republicans took it. Anthony DiLorenzo, a car dealer who'd never run for office in his life, beat a decorated veteran and a sitting state legislator to win the GOP nomination, backed by Trump's endorsement and roughly $800,000 of his own money.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer all lined up behind DiLorenzo before a single vote was cast.
So the seat Pappas thought was safe just went to a total outsider running on Trump's brand. And the seat Pappas actually wants is turning into the same trap.
The Senate Race Is Now a Dead Heat and Mamdani Is the Reason
John Sununu is running neck and neck with Pappas for the open Senate seat, with one GOP internal poll showing Sununu up 37 to 36 among likely voters.
Senate Republicans have already reserved $17 million in television time to close the gap, and the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity network dropped another $2 million on top of that.
The National Republican Congressional Committee didn't waste a minute after Mamdani's own primary win, blasting out that "the new face of the Democrat Party just dropped, and it's straight out of a socialist nightmare."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee ran the exact same playbook against Pappas nationally, tying him to Mamdani the same week Democrats in New York were celebrating.
Pappas can insist all he wants that he's a moderate who "works across the aisle." Voters don't remember position papers. They remember a congressman who couldn't say no when asked point-blank if he wanted the socialist to win.
What This Actually Means Heading Into November
Democrats are still selling a blue wave narrative built on midterm history and Trump fatigue. New Hampshire was supposed to prove it.
Instead they've lost the House seat Pappas walked away from to a first-time Republican candidate, and their Senate nominee can't shake a one-word dodge that Republicans are now running on repeat in $17 million worth of ads.
Trump's endorsement record keeps holding up in exactly the districts Democrats claim as theirs. Come November, Pappas gets to explain that WMUR answer to the same New Hampshire voters who almost sent Leavitt to Congress in 2022, and this time there's no incumbency left to hide behind.
Sources:
- "Former Elizabeth Warren foe flips script on her alliance with Mamdani," Fox News, July 2025.
- "'Comrade Chris' – Republicans aim to anchor Mamdani to Democrats across the country," Fox News.
- Elizabeth Elkind, "Trump-backed candidate wins high-stakes GOP primary for New Hampshire battleground district," Fox News, September 8, 2026.
- "Chris Pappas Faces Second Polling Blow in New Hampshire Race Against Sununu," Newsweek, September 3, 2026.
- "Pappas, Sununu to face off in crucial New Hampshire Senate race," Semafor, September 8, 2026.
