- Incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas has won a second term to represent New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, after a challenge from Republican Matt Mowers, according to Decision Desk HQ.
- Mowers is a former diplomat and New Hampshire Republican Party executive director who served as an advisor in the US State Department.
- This district flipped from narrowly backing President Obama in 2012 to narrowly supporting President Trump in 2016.
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First-term Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas has won reelection in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, after facing a challenge from Republican Matt Mowers, according to Decision Desk HQ.
The candidates
Pappas was elected in the 2018 midterms to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. He formerly served as a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, which essentially functions as an advisory board to the governor’s office, and helped run his family’s small business.
In Congress, he serves on the Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. His campaign platform emphasizes improving healthcare and combatting the opioid epidemic, supporting New Hampshire’s small businesses, and ensuring benefits for veterans.
Mowers is a former diplomat and New Hampshire Republican Party executive director who served as an advisor in the US State Department under President Donald Trump’s administration and was endorsed by Trump in the primary.
On September 8, Mowers easily defeated his opponent Matt Mayberry in the GOP primary for the district. His campaign platform focused on helping New Hampshire’s economy recover from COVID-19, bolstering national security, protecting the 2nd Amendment, and establishing term limits for members of Congress.
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The district
New Hampshire's 1st District occupies a chunk of the eastern half of the state, including the cities and towns of Manchester, Merrimack, Laconia, Campton, Brentwood, and Dover.
From 2007 to 2019, control of the district flipped back and forth between two representatives, Republican Frank Guinta and Shea-Porter, nearly every cycle.
This swing district flipped from voting for former President Barack Obama by a margin of 1.6 percentage points in 2012 to voting for Trump, also by a margin of 1.6 percentage points in 2016, according to Daily Kos.
The money race
The drawn-out primary, which wasn't resolved until early September, allowed Pappas to amass a significant cash advantage over Mowers. Pappas raised $2.8 million this cycle and spent $1.9 million compared to $1.4 million raised and $1.2 spent for Mowers, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
What some of the experts say
The race between Pappas and Mowers was rated as "likely Democratic" by the Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.