What They Are Saying: Chris Pappas “Got the Better Of” John Sununu at WMUR Debate

MANCHESTER, N.H. — After Wednesday night’s disastrous WMUR debate for John Sununu, during which he said the Iran war is “working,” commentary across New Hampshire has highlighted Pappas’s clear debate victory. Coverage has included that Pappas “got the better” of John Sununu when it comes to Sununu’s repeated defense of the Iran War, and other analysis has highlighted the difficult position Sununu has found himself in, his dated references that reinforced how Sununu will take New Hampshire backwards, and the strong contrast that Pappas provided voters. 

Read more coverage and commentary below: 

WMUR: Fact-check from Politifact: US Senate candidates spar over records on Iran war

By Steve Bottari, 10/29/26

• BOTTARI: So what did you and your colleagues find when fact-checking both of their claims? 

• LOU JACOBSON, POLITIFACT: For what we found, it looks like Pappas got the better of this one. We looked back at the comments made around the start of the war, in February, and found no statement from Sununu at the time that it was a mistake to attack without a plan to keep the Strait open.

• LOU JACOBSON, POLITIFACT: A few days after the war started, Sununu called the military action a “pivotal moment” for the region and the world. In early March, Sununu called the war “very effective” and said “I do think that Trump’s objectives are clear,” and in a separate March Interview, Sununu was questioned about rising gas prices and he called the war mission “important and critical.”

WGIR: New Hampshire Today: US Senate Debate in NH

• DEAN SPILIOTES: From the clips that I’ve heard and from what we just heard there, you can see some of the challenges for Sununu in trying to figure out how to position himself between Trump and maybe more independent voters who are not particularly fond of Trump. Mentioning Susan Collins is sort of an interesting choice as kind of a typology for him, but it just kind of speaks to the difficulty that he’s in in terms of how to position himself.

Union Leader: Pappas and Sununu clash over costs, Social Security, political independence and Iran

By Kevin Landrigan, 10/29/26

• Republican John E. Sununu and Democrat Chris Pappas fought over affordability, political independence, Social Security, the war in Iran and each other’s campaign ads during their final debate of their high-stakes, U.S. Senate race Wednesday night.

• The one-hour exchange on WMUR-TV drew for the voters the stark contrast between four-term Congressman Pappas, 46, of Manchester, and former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, 62, of Rye, each running for the seat to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.

• […]

• “Fact is, John Sununu was our senator before, and if he was as effective and as independent as he says he was, then he’d probably still be our senator today,” Pappas said.

• “But voters had another idea, and this is not a moment to restore someone who was out of step with New Hampshire before and bring them back into power.

• […]

• The same theme returned when the pair were asked about the number one issue in New Hampshire and America, the affordability crisis for many working families.

• “Now New Hampshire families are paying on average about $5,300 more per household for everything they need because of Donald Trump’s inflation and the tariffs that he slapped on everything. So we need to rein this in,” Pappas said. “That’s why we need change in Washington that can change the balance of power so that we can effectively challenge this administration and the runaway costs that are hurting families.”

• […] 

• Sununu’s record of proposing back in 2005 voluntary privatization accounts for younger workers before they became eligible for Social Security retirement became another flashpoint.

• […]

• Pappas said Sununu can’t run away from his own record.

• “Now, when John Sununu was in the Senate, yes, he did propose privatizing Social Security, which would have taken people out of the system and provided for fewer people contributing toward today’s retirees who need to be able to count on their benefits,” Pappas said.

• […] 

The New York Times: Familiar Faces and a Trip Back in Time: 5 Takeaways From the N.H. Senate Debate

By Jess Bidgood, 10/29/26

• […] 

• Sununu climbed in his Wayback Machine.

• Mrs. Clinton wasn’t the only reference Mr. Sununu made that seemed, well, dated.

• He talked about demanding changes to the Patriot Act during the presidency of George W. Bush. He said he was the first Republican to call for the firing of Alberto Gonzales, Mr. Bush’s attorney general.

• He grew visibly annoyed as he parsed an attack by Mr. Pappas over legislation privatizing Social Security during his term in the Senate.

• […]

• He also chafed when Mr. Pappas said his net worth had grown to an “estimated” $35 million after he left the Senate.

• […]

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