The 2026 New Hampshire primary election will feature competitive races for open seats in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House and will set the stage for shakeups in the New Hampshire legislature.
In the U.S. Senate race, Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, leads among Democrats, while former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu headline the Republican primary. Pappas’ run for Senate opens up his seat in the House, which Republicans are hoping they can flip in the midterm year.
In Concord, Democrats are hoping to cut into Republicans’ wide majority margins, and the Seacoast will see some changes to its representation with a host of lawmakers retiring.
Here’s what to know about whose running in the Sept. 8 primary election, according to filings made with the N.H. secretary of state’s by the June 12 deadline. Winners in the primary will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
U.S. Senate: Pappas, Sununu, Brown compete to replace Shaheen
Pappas leads a field of Democratic candidates looking to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH.
The other candidates who filed to run in the Democratic primary include David Jarvis of Manchester, Karishma Manzur of Exeter, Maxwell L. Saal of Walpole and John Vail of Easton.
The Republican primary is headlined by former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu. Other candidates that filed include Tom Alciere of Hudson, Sky Danley of Portsmouth, Andy Martin of Manchester, Mary Maxwell of Concord, Richard A. McMenamon II of Gilmanton and Sabrina Ann Smith of Pittsfield.
Four third-party candidates have also filed declarations of intent: Tim Harris of Greenland, Edmond Laplante of Richmond, Jeanne Logan Morrow of Hollis and Christine Lopez of Manchester. Candidates that file this way must get a certain amount of signatures from registered voters to officially get on the ballot.
The race is rated “Lean D” by the Cook Political Report. An April poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found Pappas leading the Democratic field, Sununu leading the Republican, and Pappas beating both Sununu and Brown in hypothetical general election matchups.
U.S. House: Democrats look to hold two seats, one will be a newcomer
The election for New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District features stacked fields of candidates in both primary elections as both parties wish to take the historically purple seat held by Pappas.
The district is rated “Likely D” by the Cook Political Report.
In the Democratic primary, the candidates include Carleigh Beriont of Hampton, Bill Conlin of Dover, Matthew Emerson of Conway, Rep. Heath Howard, D-Strafford, Stefany Shaheen of Portsmouth, Sarah Bella Spinosa of Manchester, Maura Sullivan of New Castle and Christian Urrutia of Moultonborough.
In the Republican primary, the candidates include Linsey Anderson of Moultonborough, Melissa Bailey of Bedford, Michael Anthony Callis of Conway, Brian D. Cole of Manchester, Anthony DiLorenzo of Portsmouth and Hollie Noveletsky of Newfields.
In the 2nd District of New Hampshire, incumbent Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H, faces primary challenges from Paige Beauchemin of Nashua and Sarah E. Chadzynski of Lyndeborough.
Lily Tang Williams, the 2024 Republican nominee, is hoping for a rematch in 2026. Her opponents in the primary are Dan Nicholson of Nashua and Victor Orlando of Hollis.
Three more candidates — Scott Matthew Black of Whitefield, Robbie Mahrou of Walpole and Sterling Thomas Sykes of Jefferson — have filed declarations of intent.
Governor’s race: Ayotte poised to face Warmington
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, is running for her second term in office. She is being challenged in the primary by Shaun Fife of Gilmanton and Bob Wayne McClory of Goffstown. Fife finished third in the Republican primary for governor in 2024 with 876 votes to Ayotte’s 88,117.
The winner will face former Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, who came in second in the 2024 Democratic primary for governor. She does not have a primary opponent.
Jon Kiper of Newmarket, who finished third in the 2024 Democratic primary, Everett Howard of Rochester, John Horsley of Wildon and Stephen Villee of Hampton, who finished third in the 2024 general election, have also filed declarations of intent.
The April UNH poll found Ayotte leading Warmington in a general election matchup.
Executive Council: Republicans look to keep control
Republicans hold a 4-1 advantage on the council, which has approval power on state contracts.
Andrew Smith, the director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said that of the five seats, District 1, 4 and 5 historically vote Republican, District 2 is Democratic and District 3, which is the main Seacoast district, “leans Republican.”
In District 1, Rep. Luz Bay, D-Dover, has filed to run against incumbent Republican Executive Councilor Joseph Kenney, who doesn’t have a primary opponent. District 1 includes the Seacoast communities of Dover, Durham, Madbury, Rochester, Rollinsford and Somersworth.
In District 3, Executive Councilor Janet Stevens, R-Rye, is being challenged by Republican Gregory Whirley of Derry in the primary. The winner will face Democrat Lisa Kennedy Sheldon of Portsmouth.
In District 4, which includes a small section of the Seacoast with Barrington, Lee and Strafford, Republican incumbent John Stephen faces a primary challenge from Harriet E. Cady of Deerfield and Terese M. Bastarache of Loudon. The winner will face Democrat Jim O’Connell from Manchester.
NH Senate: Democrats push to challenge Republican supermajority
The state Senate currently has a 16-8 Republican supermajority.
In the 2024 election, Democrats lost two seats. They are likely hoping to gain them back and then some.
Former Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst, is running for the seat she lost against Sen. Tim McGough, R-Merrimack, and Democrat Leonard Bell of Manchester is running against Sen. Victoria Sullivan, R-Manchester, who flipped the seat in 2024.
“We have an incredibly strong slate of Democratic candidates who are ready to step up to flip the State House and kick Kelly Ayotte out of the corner office,” New Hampshire Democratic Party Charman Ray Buckley said in a statement to Seacoastonline. The New Hampshire Republican Party did not respond to a request for comment.
In 2018, which was also a midterm year under a Trump administration, Democrats flipped four seats to gain control of the Senate 14-10. Republicans flipped the seats back in 2020 and have had control over the chamber ever since.
“In midterm elections the president’s party tends to stay home because they say, ‘we won the presidency, we’ll come back in four years,’ and also there’s a correlation between the president’s approval rating and turnout,” Smith said. President Donald Trump’s approval rating is 38%, according to an aggregate of polls from the New York Times; a number low enough that the party tends not to turn out, Smith said.
However, “it’s going to be difficult for [Democrats] even in a good year, a midterm with a Republican president,” Smith continued. Thanks to partisan gerrymandered seats, he said, Democrats need to win about 53%-54% of the popular vote to flip the Senate.
Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, is not facing a challenger in either primary or general election.
Seacoast NH state Senate races
Here’s what the Seacoast district Senate races are looking like:
District 4: Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, faces Republican challenger Shawn Mickelonis.
District 6: Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, faces Democratic challenger Cecil Abels of Rochester.
District 21: Sen. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka, D-Portsmouth, is unopposed.
District 23: Sen. Bill Gannon, R-Sandown, faces Democratic challenger David Childs of South Hampton.
District 24: Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, faces Republican challenger Lou Gargiulo of Hampton Falls.
NH House: Republicans look to keep control
The New Hampshire House is currently heavily controlled by the GOP: there are 214 Republicans, 176 Democrats, one independent and nine vacancies as of June 1.
Just like the Senate, Democrats are hoping to cut into the GOP’s majority this year. Before the 2024 election, Republicans had a much narrower edge over Democrats.
In New Hampshire, every town over a certain size must have a representative, according to state law. This means the House tends to lean Republican thanks to the small rural towns. But it’s not actually a partisan gerrymander, so the House is “easier” for Democrats to gain ground in, Smith said.
Still, Democrats also need about 53%-54% of the popular vote to flip the House, he said.
“It’s all going to be a matter of turnout,” Smith said.
Here are Seacoast House district candidates
The elections are likely to bring some shake-ups to the Seacoast House delegation. Some representatives, including Rep. David Meuse, D-Portsmouth and Rep. Marjorie Smith, D-Durham, are retiring.
“Eight years has been enough,” Meuse told Seacoastonline, adding that it will be a chance for him to get involved in other things. “We’re going to have some state rep turnover in Portsmouth, bottom line.”
Many other incumbents were not listed in the House filings, including Hampton’s three Democratic Reps. Chris Muns, Michael Edgar and Erica de Vries, and Barrington/Strafford Reps. Len Turcotte, Cassandra Levesque and Heath Howard. (Howard is running for Congress.)
Here are all of the candidates listed on the secretary of state’s website after 5 p.m. Friday who have filed to run in the Seacoast House districts. The list will likely be updated. Write-in candidates could be added.
In some districts, no candidates have filed to run. When this happens for any office, the New Hampshire Democratic and Republican parties may designate people to fill those positions, according to the secretary of state.
Rockingham County
District 6 (1 seat)
- Allen Cook of Brentwood, R
District 7 (1 seat)
- Rep. Laurence A. Miner, R-Fremont
- Emily Phillips of Fremont, R (used to represent this seat)
District 10 (3 seats)
- Rep. Michael Cahill, D-Newmarket
- Charlotte DiLorenzo of Newmarket, D (former rep for this district)
- Rep. Ellen Read, D-Newmarket, D
District 11 (4 seats)
- Rep. Julie Gilman, D-Exeter
- Steven C. Jones of Exeter, D
- Kevin Khan of Exeter – Third party
District 12 (2 seats)
- Rep. Allison Knab, D-Stratham
- Rep. Zoe Manos, D-Stratham
District 19 (1 seat)
- Rep. Susan M. Porcelli, R-Hampton Falls
District 22 (1 seat)
- Rebecca Audet of New Castle, D
District 23 (1 seat)
- Rep. Jim Maggiore, D-North Hampton
- Kirsten Larsen Schultz of North Hampton, third party
District 24 (2 seats)
- Michael Moody of Rye, D
- Rep. Dennis Malloy, D-Greenland
District 26 (1 seat)
- Rep. Buzz Scherr, D-Portsmouth
District 27 (1 seat)
- Rep. Gerald W.R. Ward, D-Portsmouth
District 29 (4 seats)
- Ward Galanis of Hampton, D
- Molly McCoy of Hampton, D
- Nathan Andrew Riggs of Hampton, D
- Rep. Nicholas D. Bridle, R-Hampton
District 30 (2 seats)
- Jason A. Janvrin of Seabrook, R
- Rep. Aboul B. Khan, R-Seabrook
- Rep. Matthew R. Sabourin dit Choiniere, R-Seabrook
District 32 (1 seat)
- Rep. Melissa A. Litchfield, R-Brentwood
- Kaley Dvorak of Brentwood, third party
District 36 (1 seat)
- Rep. JD Bernardy, R-South Hampton
District 37 (1 seat)
- Kate Cook of Portsmouth, D
District 38 (1 seat)
- Rep. Peggy Balboni, D-Rye
District 39 (1 seat)
- Barbara M. Ward of Portsmouth, D
District 40 (1 seat)
- Justin G. Packard of Seabrook, D
- Rep. Linda McGrath, R-Hampton
Strafford County
District 4 (3 seats)
- Kimberly S. McGlinchey of Strafford, D
- Ginna Schonwald of Barrington, D
- Scott Shepart of Barrington, D
- JoAnne Hack of Barrington, R
- Kurt Wuelper of Strafford, R (ran last time too)
District 5 (1 seat)
- William F. Fessenden of Rochester, third party
District 6 (1 seat)
- Daniel Fitzpatrick of Rochester, D
- Rep. Denise DeDe-Poulin, R-Rochester
District 8 (1 seat)
- Ty Wyman of Rochester, D
- David Walker of Rochester, R
District 9 (1 seat)
- Robert Qua of Rochester, R
District 10 (4 seats)
- Gale Bailey of Durham, D
- Rep. Wayne Burton, D-Durham
- Rep. Timothy Horrigan, D-Durham
- Paul Rasumussen of Durham, D
- Siena R. Schaier, D-Durham
- Rep. Loren Selig of Durham, D
- Micah Warnock of Durham, D
District 11 (3 seats)
- Rep. Erik Johnson, D-Lee
- Rep. Thomas Southworth, D-Dover
- Rep. Janet G. Wall, D-Madbury
- Monique Meadows of Dover, R
District 12 (4 seats)
- Rep. Myles England, D-Rollinsford
- Will Hurley of Rollinsford, D
- Rep. Wayne Pearson, D-Rollinsford
- Omero N. Ambriz of Somersworth, third party
District 13 (1 seat)
- Rep. Peter W. Bixby, D-Dover
- Daniel A. Furman of Dover, R
- Michael Castaldo of Dover, third party
District 15 (1 seat)
- Samuel Chouinard of Dover, D
District 16 (1 seat)
- Rep. Gary Gilmore, D-Dover
District 17 (1 seat)
- Rep. Jessica LaMontagne, D-Dover
District 18 (1 seat)
- Rep. Michael Harrington, R-Strafford
- Thom Flynn of Strafford, D
District 19 (3 seats)
- Jonathan King of Rochester, D
- Nick Paul of Rochester, D
- Justin McIsaac of Rochester, D
- Samuel Farrington, R (currently a District 8 representative)
District 20 (1 seat)
- Rep. Allan Howland, D-Durham
- John Colford of Dover, R
District 21 (3 seats)
- Rep. Seth Miller, D-Dover
- Rep. Geoff Smith, D-Dover
- Alice Wade of Dover, D (currently a District 15 rep)State Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, is the wife of Howard Altschiller, Seacoast Media Group’s executive editor.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Margie Cullen.
