Democrats’ push to reorder the presidential primary calendar by sidelining New Hampshire’s first‑in‑the‑nation status is giving Republicans a new line of attack against Rep. Chris Pappas in a tight Senate contest.
The Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws group is meeting in Washington this week to hash out the 2028 nominating calendar, with South Carolina and Nevada emerging as early favorites to kick off the process.
The panel is expected to send its recommendation to the full DNC, which will take up the matter next month.
Former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu, who is locked in a two‑way GOP Sept. 8 primary with former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, said the debate underscores how little influence Mr. Pappas has within his party — and how little Democrats value New Hampshire’s traditional role.
“They are obviously about to stick it to New Hampshire again, and even worse, Chris Pappas is incapable of standing up and defending the first-in-the-nation primary,” Mr. Sununu told Manchester’s WMUR-TV. “You know, he votes the party line over and over, but he gets nothing for it.”
Mr. Brown offered a similar critique, saying Mr. Pappas, who represents the 1st Congressional District, is asleep at the wheel.
“Chris. Why don’t you do your job?” he told WMUR. “You didn’t do it last time. You’re not doing it this time. Why are you getting rid of $250 to $275 million of economic impact for our state?”
For his part, Mr. Pappas vowed to “keep fighting to protect New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary.”
He added in a statement, “This is a moment for everyone to be on Team New Hampshire and not fall into the predictable pattern of turning everything into a selfish political attack on the other party.”
A question is how the DNC would circumvent a New Hampshire law requiring the state to hold the first primary contest.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report gives Democrats a slight edge in the New Hampshire Senate race.
The winner will replace retiring Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who has held the seat since 2009.
