Exclusive: 500+ member NH union backs Congressman Chris Pappas for US Senate

IUPAT District Council 35 backs Pappas, citing pro-labor record and leadership for working families

In a major show of labor support, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 35 is endorsing Congressman Chris Pappas (D-District) in his bid for the U.S. Senate, The Granite Post has learned exclusively.

The union, which represents more than 500 skilled trades workers across New Hampshire — from glaziers and drywall finishers to sign painters and public employees — praised Pappas’s pro-worker record and his leadership on issues like collective bargaining, fair wages, and corporate accountability.

“We are proud to stand with Chris Pappas because we know he will be a strong voice for working people and middle-class families in the United States Senate,” said Christian Brennan, Business Manager and Secretary-Treasurer of IUPAT DC 35 in a statement. “We’ve seen Chris take on Big Pharma to lower drug prices and stand up to big corporations. He’s the pro-worker leader we need.”

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Pappas, who has represented the state’s 1st Congressional District since 2019, welcomed the endorsement and pledged to continue fighting for working families if elected to the Senate.

“I am grateful for IUPAT District Council 35’s support in this campaign and look forward to partnering with them in the U.S. Senate to fight for New Hampshire workers,” said Pappas in a statement. “Unions built the middle class, and I’m committed to ensuring that working people have a seat at the table.”

Pappas’s congressional record includes co-sponsoring the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act — legislation that would strengthen workers’ rights to unionize and collectively bargain. He also opposed Trump-era efforts to gut collective bargaining rights for federal employees.

The endorsement adds to Pappas’s growing coalition of support since launching his Senate bid earlier this month. Since launching his campaign, he has secured endorsements from US Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, former Gov. John Lynch and his family, Teamsters Local 633, the New Hampshire Building Trades Council, and local IBEW unions representing 8,000 workers statewide.