Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas faces off against Republican Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District election
- Rep. Chris Pappas is running against Republican Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District.
- The 1st District is located in the eastern region of the state.
Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas faces off against Republican Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District.
New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District candidates
Pappas, running for his second term in the US House, serves on the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Veterans' Affairs. The first openly gay man to represent New Hampshire in Congress, Pappas co-chairs the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.
Prior to his time in Congress, Pappas served on the New Hampshire Executive Council, representing District 4 from 2013 to 2019. He also served as treasurer of Hillsborough County from 2006 to 2010 and in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 2002 to 2006.
In Congress, Pappas has focused on healthcare and lowering the cost of prescription drugs.
Pappas entered Congress after he defeated Trump-backed Republican candidate Eddie Edward to replace outgoing Rep. Carol Shea-Porter.
Leavitt, Pappas' challenger, is a 25-year-old former White House staffer for President Donald Trump. Her campaign website states that she worked as a presidential writer. She also served as his assistant press secretary.
Leavitt became the second Gen Z candidate to win a congressional primary this year when she defeated her GOP opponents in the 10-way primary, including Matt Mowers, a former Trump staffer who in 2020 lost to Pappas by about 5 percentage points.
If she beats Pappas in November, Leavitt will be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.
Voting history for New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District
New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District is located in the eastern region of the state and includes Manchester, the state's largest city, as well as Portsmouth and Laconia.
President Joe Biden had a 6 percentage point margin of victory over Trump under the district's previous boundaries in 2020 before it underwent a redrawing process that kept district lines nearly the same in redistricting following the 2020 Census. The partisan lean — Democratic — remained unchanged.
The money race
According to OpenSecrets, Pappas has raised $4.6 million, spent $3.7 million, and has $1.2 million on hand, as of October 19. His opponent, Leavitt, has raised $3.1 million, spent $2.7 million, and has $391,980 cash on hand, as of October 19.
Through early November, the race has attracted nearly $21.5 million worth of spending by non-candidate groups such as super PACs and national party committees, including during the race's primary election.
What experts say
The race between Pappas and Leavitt is rated as "tilt Democratic" by Inside Elections, a "toss-up" by The Cook Political Report, and "leans Democratic" by Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.