Karishma Manzur, a hard-left candidate for New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seat, did not commit to endorsing Rep. Chris Pappas if he wins Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
“Only people who ask me this are media or Chris Pappas supporters,” Ms. Manzur told MS NOW on Monday when asked if she would endorse Mr. Pappas, who is backed by Democratic Senate leaders and leading in polling.
Ms. Manzur has narrowed Mr. Pappas’ lead in recent polls. An August survey from the University of New Hampshire showed Mr. Pappas leading Ms. Manzur 47% to 34%.
Democrats need to net four additional seats to gain control of the Senate, meaning they likely cannot afford to lose in New Hampshire.
During a recent debate, Ms. Manzur attacked Mr. Pappas, accusing him of being backed by money from “big tech, big oil, crypto, AI” and pro-Israel groups.
Throughout his four terms in Congress, Mr. Pappas has cultivated a reputation as a moderate. He has called himself a “strong supporter of the bipartisan U.S.-Israel relationship” and is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group focused on “bipartisan collaboration.”
Mr. Pappas has warned against Democratic complacency in the Granite State, which tends to favor Democrats for federal office but is governed by a Republican trifecta. The state favored Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by less than 3 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
“This is a purple state,” Mr. Pappas told CNN in August when asked about polls showing him trailing potential Republican nominee John Sununu, who was the state’s U.S. senator from 2003 to 2009. “It’s a highly competitive race.”
Republicans apparently hope divisions in the Democratic Party will boost their chances in New Hampshire.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the GOP’s main Senate campaign committee, said in a recent statement that “Granite Staters are fed up with Party Line Pappas being nothing more than a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and are flocking to Karishma Manzur because of it,” highlighting the tightening polls in the Democratic primary.
Ms. Manzur said it is not her job to rally voters for Mr. Pappas.
“I will never tell anyone how to vote,” she told MS Now on Monday. “People have to earn my vote. Anyone who is going to be a real Democrat will get my vote.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Pappas has touted support from his party’s left flank, rallying with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Saturday.
The Cook Political Report, a political forecaster, states that New Hampshire’s Senate race leans Democratic.
Also on Tuesday, Mr. Sununu will face off against Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator who has moved back to his birthplace of New Hampshire, in the Republican primary for Senate.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.