Chris Pappas becomes first openly gay man elected to the US Senate
Florida and Georgia elect their first black governors, while Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed is highly likely to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
- Democrat Chris Pappas won the US Senate election in New Hampshire, defeating Republican John E. Sununu.
- His victory makes him the first openly gay man to be elected to the US Senate.
- Pappas is the third openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the chamber, after Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema.
- A member of the House of Representatives, Pappas will succeed retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen, preserving a key Democratic seat.
Democrat Chris Pappas defeated Republican former senator John E. Sununu in New Hampshire’s open US Senate election on Tuesday (November 3, 2026), according to media projections.
The victory makes Pappas the first openly gay man elected to the US Senate and the third openly LGBTQ+ person elected to the chamber, following Senator Tammy Baldwin and former senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Pappas, a moderate member of the US House of Representatives, will succeed Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring from politics after 18 years in the Senate.
The result preserves a key Democratic seat that Republicans had targeted in their effort to retain control of the Senate.
New Hampshire has long been considered a swing state because of its moderate electorate.
Republicans entered the elections with a 53–47 Senate majority, while Democrats needed a net gain of four seats to take control of the chamber.
High energy prices had become a major issue in the cold-weather state amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.
Pappas blamed Trump and fellow Republicans for the conflict, which has disrupted oil shipments and driven up petrol and heating oil prices.
Sununu, who comes from a prominent New Hampshire political family, argued that increasing domestic energy production would lower prices.
Addressing supporters after learning the result, Pappas described his win as “a victory for Team New Hampshire over the same old broken system”, according to the Associated Press, and sharply criticised the current administration’s policies.
“Tonight’s election result is a warning signal to business interests and billionaires who distort the economic system. It sends a signal to the cowards in Congress who have allowed cuts to healthcare funding, the imposition of tariffs and the waging of war, and to an incompetent president who has never even cared how people are suffering.”
The 2026 midterms have also brought milestones in other states.
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed appears highly likely to become the first Muslim elected to the US Senate.
In the races for governor, Republican Byron Donalds was elected Florida’s first black governor.
In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms was elected the state’s first black governor, also becoming the first black woman in the United States to win a governorship.
Source: Reuters
