U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas swiftly defeated progressive opponent Karishma Manzur in a Democratic Senate primary in New Hampshire on Tuesday, capping off one of several races in which criticism of Israel and AIPAC became prominent talking points.
The Associated Press called the race just an hour after polls closed, at 6pm, when Pappas accrued 61.9% of voter support to Manzur’s 36.1%, with 22% of ballots counted.
Having secured the Democratic nomination, Pappas is seeking to fill the seat of three-term Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is not seeking reelection this year. As he and Manzur spoke to the press during the final weeks of the campaign, their messaging often included condemnations of Israeli leadership.
New Hampshire Democrats chose Pappas, a four-term congressman, as their Senate nominee at a time when their party is hoping to take control of both houses of Congress. Their selection of Pappas, seen as the establishment candidate, could play a pivotal role in November, in a swing state where many voters still split tickets.
Pappas will face former Sen. John Sununu, a Republican who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, in the general election. Sununu served one term in the Senate, from 2003 to 2009, immediately following three terms in the U.S. House.
Two other Democratic primaries, for neighboring U.S. House seats, likewise focused outsized attention on Israel in recent weeks. But one of the races featured a decisive victory on Tuesday, while the second was inconclusive as the evening progressed.
Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a one-term incumbent, trounced progressive state lawmaker Paige Beauchemin in the 2nd congressional district, which includes New Hampshire’s capital, Concord, and the city of Nashua. The AP declared Goodlander as the projected winner an hour after polls closed, when she had earned 79.7% of votes to Beauchemin’s 20.1%, with 16% of ballots counted.
At that point, the race in the next-door 1st congressional district was still too close to call. City councilor Stefany Shaheen and former U.S. Marine Capt. Maura Sullivan were neck-in-neck — the frontrunners in a contest that included numerous other candidates.
The winner of that race will face Republican Anthony DiLorenzo, an automotive executive who has Trump’s support, in the November election.
Shaheen is a healthcare advocate and daughter of Jeanne Shaheen, whose Senate seat Pappas is hoping to secure in November. Her opponent, Sullivan, served as the assistant secretary for Veteran Affairs in the Obama administration.
Shaheen is a healthcare advocate and daughter of Jeanne Shaheen, whose Senate seat Pappas is hoping to secure in November. Her opponent, Sullivan, served as the assistant secretary for Veteran Affairs in the Obama administration.
Similar to the U.S. Senate primary hopefuls, candidates in these two races seemed to share near-unanimous disdain for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They, too, had a spectrum of opinions on the Jewish state, with moderates asserting Israel’s right to defend itself and progressive placing most of the blame for the Gaza war on Israel.
The candidates in the U.S. House races also spent significant airtime in recent weeks blasting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group.
Both Shaheen and Beauchemin accused their opponents of taking AIPAC funds, simply because donors who contributed to the lobby also gave to their campaigns. Sullivan and Goodlander denied these allegations, maintaining that they took no money from AIPAC.
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