Democrat Chris Pappas says ‘we’re not taking anything for granted’ amid ‘tough race’ in New Hampshire

Washington- Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running represent New Hampshire in the Senatesaid Sunday that “we’re not taking anything for granted” as Election Day approaches, amid a “tough race” in the Granite State.

“I’m hopeful about where we’re going to end up at the end of this case, but we have to work over the next 23 days,” Pappas said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Pappas, who has represented New Hampshire in the House since 2019, faces former Republican Sen. John Sununu in a race that could be key to determining which party controls the Senate. And although Republicans are eyeing a possible opportunity to flip the seat, after Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen announced she would not run again, CBS News views New Hampshire as leaning Democratic.

But Pappas said that given New Hampshire’s status as a purple state in general and the lack of early voting options in the state, his campaign is taking nothing for granted. The focus now is on “how we reach out to these independent, influential voters, how we energize the base, how we reach out to Republicans over the next 23 days to win a tough race,” he said.

Pappas noted that the 2016 Senate race in New Hampshire came down to just over 1,000 votes and acknowledged the extent to which his opponent’s family has dominated politics in the Granite State.

“I’m facing a candidate with a very famous political background in New Hampshire. He’s already been a U.S. senator,” Pappas said. “But it’s not about going back to failed politicians with failed ideas from the past, it’s about looking to the future.”

Sununu, son of former Gov. John H. Sununu and brother of former Gov. Chris Sununu, represented New Hampshire in the House and Senate until losing reelection to Shaheen in 2008. And with a record of breaking with President Trump, he has distanced himself from the president as he campaigns to return to the upper chamber amid an unpopular war with Iran and high gas prices.

But Pappas linked Sununu’s campaign to the president’s agenda more broadly and positioned the campaign as a broader fight for the Senate majority.

“The fact is, Donald Trump said this, pretending I was on the ballot,” Pappas said. “If he is on the ballot thanks to candidates like John Sununu, who will retain his majority in the U.S. Senate, it will be harder for us to hold this administration accountable to combat the culture of corruption in Washington and fight to lower costs for New Hampshire families.”

Asked what Democrats’ priorities would be if they took control of the House and Senate, Pappas said that “we need to be focused like a laser on the economic challenges that people are facing right now.”

“We must bring victories to workers and the middle class,” he said. “We can do this by building on the success of the housing bill we passed to invest in the affordable housing stock we need, to work to end this war and lower energy prices, to restore the health care cuts that are stripping thousands of Granite Staters of their health insurance and making it harder for people to get the care they need.”

On immigration enforcement, Pappas stressed the need for reforms, while other Democrats called for the complete dissolution of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We must be realistic: Donald Trump will be president for the next two years. We must find every lever possible to curb the disgusting abuses we have seen from ICE,” Pappas said. “We must ensure that we prosecute the worst criminals who violate the law, while respecting due process rights and ensuring that immigrants are part of our extended American family. And the people of New Hampshire support that.”