{
  "id": 12252497,
  "title": "GOP's Sununu Surges in Bid to Flip Democrat's New Hampshire Senate Seat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/gops-sununu-surges-in-bid-to-flip-democrats-new-hampshire-senate-seat",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T23:26:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/gops-sununu-surges-in-bid-to-flip-democrats-new-hampshire-senate-seat-12526638"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Democrat Chris Pappas is trailing Republican John E. Sununu in a key New Hampshire Senate race, though the gap has narrowed significantly in recent weeks. According to a new Rasmussen Reports poll, 49% would vote for Pappas compared to 44% opting for Sununu. This is a stark contrast to a poll last month which showed Pappas leading by 11 points (45% to 34%). Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen is stepping down, thus making the seat vacant for the November election. The race is currently rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. Historically, the president's party tends to lose seats during midterm elections, and Republicans currently hold a slim majority in both chambers of Congress. New Hampshire has not elected a Republican senator in over 15 years. The poll indicated that 3% would vote for Constitution Party candidate Edmond Laplante, while 4% were undecided. Pappas has the backing of 89% of Democrats, 15% of Republicans, and 40% of non-affiliated voters, whereas Sununu has 84% of Republican support, 8% of Democrats, and 44% of unaffiliated voters. Among women, Pappas leads 53% to 42%, while 53% of men support Sununu, compared to 42% for Pappas. The poll, conducted among 979 likely New Hampshire voters, has a margin of error of 3%. Political commentator Craig Agranoff of Florida Atlantic University noted that while Republicans have a path in New Hampshire, it is a narrow one, and Sununu's narrowing lead fits the bill of a race the Cook Report already classifies as a toss-up.",
  "summary": "The state has notably not elected a Republican senator in over 15 years.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}